Marlon Byrd signs with the Cubs
by Adam J. Morris on Dec 31, 2009 12:01 PM CST
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PrintMarlon Byrd has reportedly agreed to a 3 year, $15 million deal with the Chicago Cubs.
I'm surprised that that's all Byrd got...I was guessing 3 years, $20 million, and I wouldn't be surprised if he couldn't have gotten something close to $15 million over three years last summer, before the ownership situation cratered to the point where the Rangers couldn't really sign anyone anymore.
Byrd is what he is, and this probably won't be a terrible deal for the Cubs, since Byrd, if nothing else, should be a solid fourth outfielder the entire stint of the deal, and could well be a decent starter the next year or two. If the Rangers weren't being run on a shoestring, they'd probably have matched this offer.
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Byrd at least gets a solid payday
I guess I’m not that surprised that he wasn’t able to get any more given how the market’s been shaping up this offseason.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
Yay
This is setting up to be another great draft. We have picks #15 and 22 in the first round, then supplemental picks for Pudge and Byrd. JD can work with that.
JD has always made the drafts fun to follow
But yeah, its a hell of a lot better when we have 5 picks in the first 2 rounds.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
It's gonna be an interesting draft
for sure. Not a lot of college bats, but lots of everything else.
I’m a white boy who doesn’t think a black man is good enough to manage my baseball team. - LSJ
"I really think that" - LSJ, on being asked by AirJordan
Oh, just saw it.
I need to think it through. I’m leaning toward accepting it.
We need to not always make hard work out of sex- Rick Carlisle.
I just
I just hope the other players don’t act like they did when David Delucci left.
Ephesians 1:3-10
Congrats to Byrd
I think this is a good signing for the Cubs. 2009 was a down year for Byrd defensively, but he still was adequate out there and managed to contribute as a solid everyday player. If his defense rebounds any, they’ve got themselves a nice piece without too long of a commitment. At the least, he is a 2.0 WAR guy with a personality that translates well in the clubhouse. And it’s a good deal for Byrd, who deserved to get his one big payday.
by Smoakin in the Boys Room on Dec 31, 2009 12:16 PM CST reply actions
were you also surprised that Darren Oliver got $3.5M/yr?
They signed him as a starting CF, which would seem to be worth considerably more than a middle reliever.
What a drag it is being broke.
I'm surprised it was so low
his contract is worth the same as Mike Cameron’s, despite having an extra year on it.
I’m a white boy who doesn’t think a black man is good enough to manage my baseball team. - LSJ
"I really think that" - LSJ, on being asked by AirJordan
Cameron is a better player than Byrd
So I don’t find it that surprising. Byrd is a good 4th OF and a decent 3rd OF on a mediocre offense. Cameron is still a very good defensive CF who isn’t particularly worse then Marlin with the stick.
What do voluntary mean?
Then
to put it in perspective, Byrd got the same contract as Brandon Lyons.
I’m a white boy who doesn’t think a black man is good enough to manage my baseball team. - LSJ
"I really think that" - LSJ, on being asked by AirJordan
that's a pretty damn terrible contract
i think the cubs will at least get the value out of the contract.
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
yeah, I thought Byrd would get more
I read RM’s comment to mean that he thought Byrd wouldn’t get that much, which seemed wierd to me.
What a drag it is being broke.
i wonder if rudy j helped push that signing at all
Nobody is perfect, i am nobody, therefore, i am perfect
by 34express on Dec 31, 2009 12:37 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Hadn't thought of that
Who knows – maybe Byrd had some comparable offers and decided on the Cubs for that reason. Not that I care one way or the other.
It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.
Love this
Even if they could have matched that deal it is better that we didn’t. Pick has more worth than Byrd. We have players that can fill his role for nothing.
Its real easy Byrd isn’t 15mil and a snadwich pick better than Murphy.
"There are two girls that can take a pounding!" Tom Grieve
by Spadedsnake on Dec 31, 2009 12:43 PM CST via mobile reply actions
"Pick has more worth than Byrd"?
Since when is a supplemental pick that may or may not become a major leaguer player and even if he does, it likely wouldn’t be for 3 or more years worth more than a current starting regular at a skill position?
its like this
Well Byrd would have taken AB away from Bourbon. That is not valuable, his salary would be a hindrance that’s not valuable, Wash has a man crush on Bryd that’s not valuable, drunks doing the Bryd-Dance that’s not valuable, and Murphy is comparable so there is no use for Byrd,
Getting a chance to find a major league player w/ higher upside and long term team control now that has value. Even if the pick becomes nobody you haven’t lost anything b/c we don’t have a need for an overrated 4th OF when we already have a couple on the 40. The draft is a numbers game, the more picks the better. Here is hoping we draft another Scheppers instead of Jonathan Johnson.
Happy New Year!
"There are two girls that can take a pounding!" Tom Grieve
by Spadedsnake on Dec 31, 2009 3:27 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
I'm happy for Byrd...
It’s hard to find guys who flat-out hustle on every single play plus keep their noses clean off the field. Great guy.
Ephesians 3:20-21...and I can only imagine
I wish him the best.
I do think we let him go at the right time, but he helped the rangers out quite a bit and seems like a real good guy.
the preceding post was a great success.
Great for Marlon, no matter what his talent leval was or will be, his heart and husle are
among the best i have seen, and from all accounts a great team mate and human being to boot, hope he has a great run with the Cubs.
Unlike Bradley or GMJ
this actually seems like a fairly good deal for the acquiring team. An 800 OPS hitter who can play roughly average defensive CF is not a bad thing to have for 5 million.
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
the knee gives me pause
FT centerfielder in his 33-35 yrs after microfracture surgery. I’m ok not giving that contract to him given the uncertainty.
I don't think the Cubs are expecting him to be their CF for the next 3 years
at least not a full time starter. They’ll probably have him there this year but still look for a more long-term answer.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
I don't know
Soriano is entrenched in LF for the forseeable future so unless they plan on moving Fukodome out of RF I think CF is the only option for Byrd in Chicago
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
After looking it up
Fukodome is signed through 2011 so I guess the last year of Byrds deal he could slide to RF if needed but it looks like CF is his for the next two years at least
Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.
I think they signed him thinking
“We’re paying 8 mil for a starting CF this year, and 3.5 mil for a 4th OF the next two years.” He seriously doubt he starts for them next year. Unless he has a stellar year for them this year and plays injury free.
Give me team chemistry and emotion over stats any day. Do you think 34,000 Ranger fans were screaming their asses off over Pudge and his .275 OBP?
At least it isn't a complete display of dumbassery
like signing Cat (who was pretty much a one trick pony, who forgot how to do his trick as a Ranger) to a comparable contract was. Byrd is a fairly versatile player, and from all reports a good guy to have in a clubhouse.
I doubt a $5 million per contract is gonna turn out horribly for the cubs. That’s pretty much the price range we’ve paid for crap like Broussard, Blalock, Jennings, Wilkerson, Hidalgo, etc, and Byrd is much more likely to play well than they ever were.
As far as the microfracture surgery, he had another 800 OPS playing roughly average defense in CF afterwards, and I doubt it is a huge factor going forward after another offseason.
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
It's a good deal for both teams
The Cubs don’t overpay, and the Rangers get a draft pick.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Wow.
Didn’t realize that Rick Ankiel was a free agent. He hasn’t got a lot of coverage compared to some of the other free agents.
As far as Byrd, good for him.
"Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence." -- Vince Lombardi
Good for Byrdman
I shall miss him, always liked the dude.
"Back on the scene, with a gangsta lean" RW
"When you have a weapon on your shoulder like he has, you can be cool." RW on Perez
And the little bastard threw it for a swinging strike three in a 3-2 count. He’s blessed. And ballsy.
Backloaded
Kinslerhomer tweeted that Byrd’s contract is backloaded – $3 million, $5.5 million, and $6.5 million.
by Excel Hearts Choi on Dec 31, 2009 1:32 PM CST reply actions
thank God we didn't sign him
it would have just meant that Borbon would have been our DH
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
Not necessarily
And what it would have done was given us an insurance policy in CF.
by Adam J. Morris on Dec 31, 2009 1:48 PM CST up reply actions
if we were looking for an insurance policy
I would think you could get one for less years/money.
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
Depends on what you want
If you want someone to be stashed at AAA just in case, sure.
If you want someone who you could live with in center as a starter in case Borbon can’t cut it, though, probably not.
I’m not saying that yeah, we should have definitely brought him back, but if you do get Byrd at that price, he gives you a righty bat and someone who could play all three positions, and it means you aren’t high and dry in what is supposed to be a push-for-a-playoff-spot year if Borbon flops in center.
by Adam J. Morris on Dec 31, 2009 1:55 PM CST up reply actions
If Borbon flops next year
I think they put Josh back in CF. What choices do they have? Podsednick?
|Space for Rent|
Hamilton most likely would be the first choice (i don't like him in CF though)
I wouldn’t mind signing a couple NRIs for insurance. I’m pretty high on Borbon, and I think we could still compete if we got a guy that could hold down the position. Competing depends on how our defense and pitching repeat or improve themselves. Our offense needs to improve and we need to get a big bat in the middle to help. Most of all the players we were interested in for the DH position are still there.
I don’t think Borbon would be that much worse than Byrd in CF.
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
What I mean by that...
Great arm and range…problem is keeping him from running into walls…
Ephesians 3:20-21...and I can only imagine
that's why I don't like him CF
to reduce the amount that he has to run and the chance that he’ll get injured
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
Only if
you think you can keep him healthy there. Hamilton in CF reminds me of when the Angels had Erstad in CF. Great player there until he inevitably got banged up. Now Hamilton is no Erstad defensively, but he is comparable from an injury standpoint.
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
I see what you're saying...
but it was time to let Byrd go. I think it was a good move for both him and the Cubs.
Borbon needs to be given a shot in CF. I hate the excuse of not signing a guy because our manager won’t use him the right way, but you know if Byrd came back he would have started in CF over Borbon.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Wouldn't have been bad
But if we don’t push our payroll to around 100 million it seems like Byrd is the type of player we just can’t afford to have around.
What do voluntary mean?
Sweet deal for everyone
Considering: 1) Marlon cost the Rangers nothing to acquire 2) Was very productive during his tenure with the Rangers 3) The Rangers get another #1 pick and 4) Marlon will be able to retire a very wealthy still young man, this was an extremely sweet deal for everyone.
OT - MWC 3-0
I’ll give you a big 12.
Yes, I know I already posted this. I’m trolling, you see?
It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.
Thanks sharky
Give me team chemistry and emotion over stats any day. Do you think 34,000 Ranger fans were screaming their asses off over Pudge and his .275 OBP?
I'm with Adam....
I think if the Ranger’s were willing to throw $3mil toward Lowell, they’d have been players at this level (I thought he’d get 3/$20M, at least) if the ownership/budget wasn’t so screwed up.
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