Byrnes Gone!!!

[BirdMan21]

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/dia.../2010/01/15/20100115eric-byrnes-released.html

 

[dogpoo32]

Wahoo!

 

[Dback Jon]

Woohoo!!

 

[PoolBoy]

yippeeeeeeeeee!

 

[AZZenny]

Wow -- dare we feel hope for the front office?

 

[Lefty]

Wow -- dare we feel hope for the front office?

No.

 

[Dback Jon]

No.

Why?

 

[devilalum]

The Albatross is gone the sky has cleared....

Too bad they couldn't move him for a reliever who struggled last year and has a bad contract. There has to be a guy like this out there that some team wants to unload and might give us some innings.

 

[PDXChris]

One last time for old times sake.

 

[boondockdrunk]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4870853

Byrnes gets one-year deal with M's

SEATTLE -- Eric Byrnes does not care what his role becomes. Just hearing Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik say he believes Byrnes can still contribute after two injury-plagued seasons was good enough.

Seattle added a needed, veteran right-handed bat to its roster signing Byrnes to a one-year deal on Friday two weeks after he was let loose by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

"Once I talked to Jack I knew this was the right fit. It was just a matter of figuring out what other opportunities I had out there," Byrnes said. "Right away I just felt that this was the place I felt like I could contribute."

And he comes at a fantastic price for the Mariners if Byrnes can come close to his 2007 production when he hit .286 with 21 homers and 83 RBIs. Arizona owed him $11 million from the final season of a $30 million contract, and any team could sign him for the $400,000 minimum, with the Diamondbacks responsible for the remainder.

If he gets enough playing time to come close to those numbers will depend on how Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu ultimately uses Byrnes. He gives Seattle another option in an outfield that includes Ichiro Suzuki in right, Franklin Gutierrez in center and likely Milton Bradley in left. Or Byrnes could find himself in a designated hitter platoon with Ken Griffey Jr. depending on who is on the mound.

"My play will dictate the amount of playing time I'm warranted," Byrnes said. "One of the things Jack and I talked about ... I'm not going to complain. I've had plenty of time on the bench and I know how to deal with that role. That's not a big deal to me. It's about taking advantage of whatever opportunity I have."

Byrnes, who will turn 34 on Feb. 16, is coming off two injury filled seasons that he admits caused him to lose his desire for the game. He ripped out his hamstring during the 2008 season, playing just 52 games for the Diamondbacks a year after they reached the NL championship series. Byrnes says the hamstring was just getting back to health last year when he broke his left hand.

He hit just .226 in 84 games last year and it was a rehab stint at Triple-A Reno that finally got Byrnes energized again. His conversations with Zduriencik only reaffirmed his desire to keep playing.

"I just needed a team to believe in me half as much as I believe in myself," Byrnes said. "Speaking to Jack, that's what I felt."

For his career, Byrnes is a .260 hitter with 189 doubles, 30 triples and 109 homers. His best seasons were in Arizona in 2006 and 2007 when he hit 47 homers, 67 doubles and drove in 163 runs combined over the two seasons.

To clear a 40-man roster spot for Byrnes, the Mariners designated Tommy Everidge for assignment. The Mariners now have 10 days to trade, release or send Everidge outright to the minors. Everidge was claimed on waivers by Seattle from Oakland earlier this month.

"We think Eric is a great fit for our team," Zduriencik said in a statement. "He is a high-energy player with a veteran presence. We look forward to him competing for a spot on our roster when spring training starts."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

 

[Tyler]

So if he signed for 400k and we are still responsible for 10.6, why on earth didnt we just keep him this year to play out his contract, I really dont see him being any worse than CY when healthy.

 

[PoolBoy]

So if he signed for 400k and we are still responsible for 10.6, why on earth didnt we just keep him this year to play out his contract, I really dont see him being any worse than CY when healthy.

guaranteed contracts suck....

 

[Dback Jon]

So if he signed for 400k and we are still responsible for 10.6, why on earth didnt we just keep him this year to play out his contract, I really dont see him being any worse than CY when healthy.

1) Message to players, fans, etc that the Dbacks are serious about being competitive

2) Management concluded that the negatives to having Byrnes around far outweighed the benefits. Byrnes did not fit the type of team AJ is trying to build, and was setting a bad example for the young players with his "hitting" (swinging for the fences)

3) He is never healthy. His playing style (stupid flips, dives) ensures he will be injured a lot, just like O-Dogg's insistance on sliding hands first ensured he was always hurt at the end of the season.

4) Removes any temptation AJ might have had to actually play him

5) Keeps a roster spot for someone that actually might have talent, like Parra.

 

[Tyler]

1) Message to players, fans, etc that the Dbacks are serious about being competitive

2) Management concluded that the negatives to having Byrnes around far outweighed the benefits. Byrnes did not fit the type of team AJ is trying to build, and was setting a bad example for the young players with his "hitting" (swinging for the fences)

3) He is never healthy. His playing style (stupid flips, dives) ensures he will be injured a lot, just like O-Dogg's insistance on sliding hands first ensured he was always hurt at the end of the season.

4) Removes any temptation AJ might have had to actually play him

5) Keeps a roster spot for someone that actually might have talent, like Parra.

All very good points, this reminds me oh so much of Russ Ortiz. They have to be the top 2 worst signings in the history of this team. Im not going to lie and say I didnt love the Eric Byrnes signing at first, he was always one of my favorite players when he was with Oakland. He seemed like a normal down to earth guy, someobody that would sit down and have a beer with you. Too bad it didnt work out for him here. I hope he can find his game again.

 

[devilalum]

All very good points, this reminds me oh so much of Russ Ortiz. They have to be the top 2 worst signings in the history of this team. Im not going to lie and say I didnt love the Eric Byrnes signing at first, he was always one of my favorite players when he was with Oakland. He seemed like a normal down to earth guy, someobody that would sit down and have a beer with you. Too bad it didnt work out for him here. I hope he can find his game again.

Ortiz was worse. At least Byrnes had one decent year for us before he got his obscene contract.

 

[BC867]

Judging from his adolescent TV performances, I can only guess how Eric Byrnes brought down the level of maturity in the clubhouse.

After the steroid years, baseball doesn't need any more irresponsible influences.

And the bad examples he set on the field -- the somersaults when throwing from the outfield and those one-handed uppercut swings.

To not reject them was to accept them. To accept them any longer would have damaged more batting potential than just Chris Young's.

I have high hopes for the D'backs hitting and pitching next season and Byrnes being gone, even if he wasn't going play, is part of it.

 

[Lefty]

Mariner fans are happy with this signing.
http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=318&f=2065&t=5541071

Here is what one fan said:

I don't understand why the D-backs would release him. He is a very good defender who is worth 3-4 WAR when healthy. Why not take a chance on him?

 

[CardEd]

Mariner fans are happy with this signing.
http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=318&f=2065&t=5541071

Here is what one fan said:

I don't understand why the D-backs would release him. He is a very good defender who is worth 3-4 WAR when healthy. Why not take a chance on him?

400K is worth the risk/reward for Seattle