Marlon Byrd is glad the Mets gave him a chance last season, ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin reports. The Mets signed Byrd to a minor-league deal, and he had an improbable age-35 breakout season that resulted in a trade to the Pirates, followed by a two-year, $16MM deal with the Phillies. “They let me go out there and play my game. They gave me a chance to make a team,” says Byrd. “Hopefully I helped them out a little bit, me and Bucky bringing Vic Black back [in the trade] — a strong arm, a closer for the future. Hopefully we helped each other out.” Here are more notes from the National League.
- GM Kevin Towers is hopeful that the Diamondbacks will continue to back him despite the team’s poor start, Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona reports (Twitter links). “I feel we have their support but I would imagine that they’re evaluating things as we’re evaluating things,” Towers says. “Hopefully we have their continued support and they are patient enough with this club to where … we turn it around.” There has been plenty of speculation about the futures of both Towers and manager Kirk Gibson. Whatever the team itself might be thinking about, though, it seems somewhat unlikely it would fire Towers just weeks before the June draft.
- The Dodgers have announced that they’ve promoted reliever Paco Rodriguez to the big leagues and optioned infielder Carlos Triunfel to Triple-A Albuquerque. As Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times points out, the Triunfel move signals that the Dodgers are comfortable that infielder Hanley Ramirez is ready to play regularly. Ramirez had been suffering from a thumb injury.
Why was Rodriquez ever demoted? Every time saw him pitch myself he did a fine job. Took him almost no time to get to the big leagues and he just doesn’t get rattled on the mound.
Is it because the LAD pen is so deep? Maybe they should find a way to stick Brian Wilson on the disabled list for the rest of the year to clear a spot and bribe him to not invoke the player option for next year am pretty certain he has. Rodriquez deserves to have a spot, just like IMO Brandon Wprkman deserves one in Boston.
Only two pitchers have any options. So it’s a situational demotion. When Kershaw comes back it gets even more complicated.
Not sure I’d call Byrd’s season a “breakout”. He had a stretch earlier in his career where he produced similarly.
It wasn’t a breakout season, but I think it would be fair to call it a “career year.”
Nice to hear players like Byrd talk good about their former teams. Good luck to you Marlon!
Alright Kevin, we’ll be as patient with you as you were with Upton, Skaggs, Bauer, Parker, Eaton, Davidson, and anyone else you traded away prematurely.
Byrd is a class act
Triunfel has a lot of potential but the dodgers are the last team in need of middle infield depth. They should package him in a deal with one the outfielders so that they can call up alex Guerrero to be on the bench.
Why should anyone be patient with Towers with how much his trades have destroyed this team?