The outfielder was released by the Diamondbacks on Friday after playing with them for four years. It was a productive four years for Byrnes, less so for the Diamondbacks. Originally signed to a couple of reasonable one-year deals, Byrnes reached free agency immediately after a .286/.353/.460, 50 stolen base season for the NL West winning Diamondbacks. The popular player was rewarded with a 3-year, $30 million contract.He's come nowhere near league-average production since. The last two years he's struggled with injuries, mostly hamstring in 2008 and a broken hand in 2009. After trying for months to find someone to trade him and his $11 million contract to, the DBacks admitted defeat and just released him Friday. I suspect we'll hear his name more than once as an example of how to be careful extending 30-ish outfielders when Michael Cuddyer nears free agency after 2011.
But for now, he represents an opportunity. The Twins need a fourth outfielder.
And this is where I caution anyone from throwing the two words "Jason Pridie" into the comments section. He's now 26, he posted a .295 OBP in AAA-Rochester last year and he struck out 152 times versus 30 walks. I don't care if he can navigate the outfield like a dragonfly on Red Bull, he is of little to no use unless you can designate a hitter for him. Has anyone ever done that? Let their pitcher bat and used the designated hitter on a whifftastic fielder? Is that even legal?
Byrnes is a decent answer for a choice I didn't want the Twins to have to make. Previously I thought they needed to decide between a fourth outfielder that could backup Denard Span in center field versus a veteran who could push Delmon Young to keep his head on straight. Byrnes has mostly played left field while with the Diamondbacks, but he played center field with the A's, and his career UZR there is positive. I don't think he's someone you want to trot out there everyday, but serving there in case of an injury is acceptable. And by all accounts, he brings it every day,plays good to above-average defense and sports a career OPS higher then Delmon's.
The biggest problem is that he's already being paid $11 million, so you can't just outbid someone for him. You have to convince him that the Twins are a desirable place for his career to bloom again, and that isn't going to happen if someone else offers him a starting spot. But if not (and that's possible given the bloated FA outfield market) convince him he just needs to beat out a very young, mostly disinterested, defensively painful, strike-zone-blind outfielder and he'll be the starting left fielder for a contending team.
That's not a bad sales pitch. For Eric Byrnes, I mean. Might want to not dwell on that too much in the next Twins Territory spot.
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I just wanted to clarify something since it seemed like you weren't really clear about this.
Because he was released with one year left on his contract, Byrnes is guaranteed his remaining $11 million for 2010. However, if he signs with another team for, say $1 million, then that team only has to pay $1 million. The D-Backs still pay him the remaining $10 million so he can receive his $11 million that his previous contract stated he would receive. That is why teams will be unable to outbid each other, because no matter what they pay him, he is guaranteed of making at most $11 million. Dave Cameron said basically the exact same thing at U.S.S. Mariner.
Jason Pridie is a much better option than Byrne. Byrne hasn't hit in two years and he isn't a center fielder any more than Delmon Young or Michael Cuddyer. He's just an old fart whose name is recognizable.
He's not a center fielder. Regardless of what flashy offensive numbers he could potentially put up, he still fails to adequately back up center field. You need more than an emergency center fielder. You need someone who can play several games in a row there without being a liability. You need someone who can give Denard Span a day off here and there.
Anyone who can't do that shouldn't even be considered.
Ha Ha, loved the comment about using the DH for a non-pitcher. I always wanted the Twins to use the DH for Punto on days when Santana was pitching.
Correction to Bryz's comment. He's guaranteed to make at LEAST $11 Million. A club, in theory, could offer more. Then they would have to pay the difference.
Pridie is Gomez without the upside. Plus defense in CF, some pop, poor OBP. He's fine for the 4th outfielder and defensive sub. Bench players who have plus skills are more valuable than well rounded players as they can be leveraged. He's worth 0.6 WAR just as a defensive sub for Delmon.
That said, I don't have any problems picking up Byrnes for the league minimum. Pridie has 1 option left so he can cool his heels at AAA one more year. Byrnes would be below average but not a disaster in CF for a few days if needed. Pridie can always be called up if needed. It provides depth and Byrnes has the upside of an average ML regular, where I don't see that in Pridie.
Kubel is the 4th of and Pirdie is the fifth. Brynes put up a .270 OBP in the NL last year. No thank you.
Pirdie's job will be to make 15spot starts for Span, be a defensive substitution late in games for Young and pinch run. He has that skill set.
Because he was released with one year left on his contract, Byrnes is guaranteed his remaining $11 million for 2010. However, if he signs with another team for, say $1 million, then that team only has to pay $1 million. The D-Backs still pay him the remaining $10 million so he can receive his $11 million that his previous contract stated he would receive.
Are you sure this is the case? I would've thought that no matter what, the D-Backs owe him $11 million, and any new contract would be over and above that - for example, if the Twins give him a $1 million deal, he'd make $12 million total.
I'd note that I'm not familiar with particulars of the CBA or the standard player contract, so this is largely an educated guess, just based on the general "MLB contracts are guaranteed" rule.
"Are you sure this is the case? "
Unless there is something unusual here, that is the way it works. If someone else signs Byrne then Arizona is off the hook for whatever amount they pay him. So he will likely sign for the major league minimum.
"Ha Ha, loved the comment about using the DH for a non-pitcher. I always wanted the Twins to use the DH for Punto on days when Santana was pitching."
Same here. Johan was a WAY better hitter than Punto. I'm glad that you brought this up!
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