Ok, let's put some current views to the backburner for a second and cease in revisionist history.
EB: Yes, he's been a flop. Some of us can say "we told you so", however the overwhelming concensus around these parts (and others) was that "re-signing Byrnes was something the organization HAD to do, especially following the Gonzo fiasco".
Young: They took an approach based off a 32-25 season, to sign him while his value was still there and lock him up before he hit free agency and commanded more.
Byrnes also was the patriarch behind the Haren deal, which has been one of the best moves that franchise has made since choosing to sign Randy Johnson rather than Bernie Williams. If you people believe that Byrnes is the puppetmaster behind it all, I guess he deserves credit for Mark Reynolds too?
Joe, this isn't just aimed towards you. I like you, I enjoy your posts and I've always respected your opinion. Being you're the one who's post I saw last, it's just yours I'm responding directly to.
There's not a GM in baseball who doesn't whiff. Hindsight is 20-20, however the two signings that most seem to be brought up negatively against him (Byrnes and Young) were in one case the right one (Young) and the other the popular one.