D'Backs Extend Josh Byrnes Through 2015

That is a huge extension...but one that I would have done as well. Byrnes has shown he has the ability to put together a winner with very limited resources. Glad to see both he and Hall will be there long-term.

And when I say top 10 offensively , im not talking just the NL. He is a good gap and off gap hitter! For most of the first half of last year I was trying to figure out who was having a better season and who would be the starting 2B at the All-Star game, he or Utley. He was that good. I know alof of bloggers around the league, particularly the Mets fans are salivating over possibly getting Hudson and while im a DBacks fan it would be awesome to see Orlando at 2B for the Mets. That would be a great place for him.

Just b/c it's a long extension, doesn't mean you can't fire him! hahah But I love the move. Byrnes is young, sharp, and making great moves so far, so this is a nice reward.

To say he's (or worried he is) taking the team in the wrong direction is unbelievable when the team is so young, talented, and incredibly cheap. Obviously he needs to continue to make good decisions, but they are set up to contend for the next 5 years rather cheaply.

Hudson was a top ten offensive 2b last year. He becomes even more valuable when you take his defense into account

I think Byrnes is a very good GM, but I don't like some of his moves in the past year.

I think the Haren trade was great (though I think Haren is slightly overrated). I also thought the Valverde trade was great (Qualls is much cheaper, has a better health record, and is very effective).

I didn't like the Callaspo trade at all. I understand he had some makeup issues (he wacked his wife around, which is completely unacceptable - he should have been woodshedded by his teammates for something like that). And if they sold low on him for this reason, I guess the move is more palatable. Still, they traded a very good young hitter (who reminds me of a young Freddy Sanchez with more speed, better defense, and more versatility) for a guy who is probably a 4th starter if everything goes right. I understand pitching is at a premium these days, but Callaspo was the most proven and ready choice to replace Hudson at 2nd. I just think Byrnes sold low on him, which is never smart.

I also didn't like the Quentin trade. I understand they were stacked in the OF, but Quentin's on-base skills and very good RF defense make him a valuable player. Trading a ML-ready outfielder who has proven himself at AAA and is still dirt cheap at the bottom of his value (returning from injury coming off poor season) for an A-ball prospect doesn't seem like maximizing value. Again, selling low isn't smart.

I didn't like the Eric Byrnes extension either. Sure, he seems to have peaked as a .275/.340/.470 hitter with excellent SB skills. But that isn't exactly earth shattering for a leftfielder. And spending $10 million per season on a good-but-not-great leftfielder doesn't seem like the wisest investment for a team that had an incredible pool of young, cheap, talented outfielders (Young, Upton, Quentin, Gonzalez, and others) and a limited budget. Seems like they would have been better served letting Byrnes walk, picking up draft picks, sticking Quentin in left, and saving the money to either extend Hudson (or some of their other young players) or chase a good free agent starting pitcher after the 2008 season (Sabathia?). Realisitically, by most projections, Quentin and Byrnes are interchangeable (both play good defense and have good power, Quentin has better on-base skills, and Byrnes has more speed). Why not go with the guy that costs the league minimum instead of the $10 million guy who is turning 32?

I still think it was a deserved extension, but his recent track record is mixed. Still, he was a big winner on the most important move I discussed (Haren).

I think it's a good way to lock in a good young GM like Byrnes at below-market value for years! He's a good trader and he's VERY young. His eyes for the farm and for the trade are gonna mature. I think he's moving into his prime, actually. If he decides he wants to leave later on, you flip him to another team or just take the picks.

I think Josh Byrnes is great but I have to agree that the Hairston trade made no sense. We got virtually nothing back and gave up one of the best hitting talents we've ever had in the minors to a division rival.

I'm not saying Hairston is the second coming of Pujols, as he was much older when he was dominating the minors, but you don't give up a league-minimum wage player with strong potential to a division rival for peanuts.

I'm not totally psyched about the Eric Byrnes extension but believe Josh had little say in the decision, in fact I'm pretty sure of it.