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Eric Byrnes

Diamondbacks Release Eric Byrnes

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WEDNESDAY, 2:21pm: Byrnes has been released by the D'Backs, tweets MLB.com's Steve Gilbert.  Welcome to our free agent list, Eric!

FRIDAY, 1:52pm: The D'Backs have designated Eric Byrnes for assignment, according to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. The D'Backs will presumably have trouble trading Byrnes, who has some no-trade protection and will make $11MM this year. The club may well end up releasing him within the next ten days.

If they release Byrnes, the D'Backs will have obtained a hugely disappointing return on the three-year $30MM deal they signed the outfielder to in 2007. In the 482 plate appearances he's made under the new deal, Byrnes hit .218/.271/.382. Byrnes, 34 next month, was a positive on defense in nearly 900 innings the last two seasons, according to UZR.

Odds & Ends: Alfaro, Brewers, Byrnes, Giambi

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Monday links, as we await a flurry of players avoiding arbitration…

  • The Rangers signed 16-year-old Colombian catcher Jorge Alfaro for $1.3MM, reports Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com.  Click here to watch video, courtesy of Kiley McDaniel.
  • The Mariners agreed to sign 17-year-old righty Kevin Quintanilla out of El Salvador.
  • Here's a link to Jon Heyman's latest at SI.com, where he ranks which teams have had the best offseasons so far.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Yankees did not make an offer to Jerry Hairston Jr., nor have they had recent contact with Johnny Damon.
  • Olney also says the Rockies "are staying in contact with Jason Giambi, but they are considering other options first."
  • Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel names the Brewers' arb-eligible seven, while also noting that GM Doug Melvin "remains in touch with the agents for free-agent lefties Doug Davis and Jarrod Washburn."
  • Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star writes about the Blue Jays' six arb-eligibles, noting that GM Alex Anthopoulos will not negotiate beyond Tuesday's deadline.
  • Dave Cameron of U.S.S. Mariner believes Eric Byrnes is a fit for the Ms, though he acknowledges that the team already has several injury-prone players.  Cameron would be willing to pay about $1MM for Byrnes.  Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic looks back at the positive side of Byrnes' Arizona tenure.
  • In a FanGraphs article, Cameron says the WAR stat does value relievers correctly, and teams are just overpaying for closers.
  • WEEI's Rob Bradford wonders if Jonathan Papelbon's 2010 salary will lead to Theo Epstein's first arbitration hearing.
  • White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko told MLB.com's Scott Merkin that he wants to stay with the team beyond 2010, the last year of his current contract.
  • Yahoo's Jeff Passan examines the Athletics, who he feels are set up to contend in 2011.
  • At the Cubs Convention over the weekend, GM Jim Hendry said fans can "expect to have two new faces" before Spring Training.  The Cubs seek a reliever and a bench bat. 

Odds & Ends: Schumaker, Chapman, Thome

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Sunday linkage…

  • Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reflects on Eric Byrnes' time with the D'Backs.
  • Skip Schumaker tells MLB.com's Matthew Leach that he and the Cardinals are nearing an agreement on a 2010 contract.
  • MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets that the Marlins were willing to offer $20MM to Aroldis Chapman.  
  • MLB.com's Scott Merkin writes that a handful of teams have contacted Jim Thome, including the Rays, though nothing is imminent. 
  • Owner Tom Ricketts defended general manager Jim Hendry this Saturday at the Cubs' annual convention, according to Melissa Isaacson of ESPNChicago.com.
  • Shi Davidi from the Canadian Press spoke with both Justin Morneau and Jeff Francis at Baseball Canada's Annual Awards Banquet Saturday. Morneau expects to begin full workouts in a couple of weeks as a season-ending stress fracture in his back appears to have healed without issue. Francis is recovering from shoulder surgery but expects to be ready for Spring Training.
  • Bill Ladson tweets that Ryan Zimmerman thinks the Nationals are having their best offseason since he's been with the organization. Some of the larger moves we've seen the Nats make include signing Jason Marquis, Matt Capps, and Ivan Rodriguez, in addition to trading for Brian Bruney.
  • Eric Chavez told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he is comfortable with shifting to a utility role after the addition of third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff.
  • Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter) "overheard" that the Brewers will sign at least one more pitcher.  Recently, Milwaukee outrighted pitcher Omar Aguilar to Triple-A, though assistant GM Gord Ash claimed it wasn't in anticipation of an acquisition.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney writes that the Marlins didn't give Josh Johnson an extension just to appease the "Powers That Be".  Those within the organization expected the deal to get done well before the joint press release from the commissioner's office and the players' union.
  • Olney also writes that the Marlins are still looking for bullpen help and will sift through the remaining free agent relievers, including Kiko Calero.  Florida declined to offer arbitration to Calero, to avoid giving him a raise on his $500K salary in 2009.

Olney On Mauer, Byrnes, Marlins

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ESPN.com's Buster Olney explains that fans aren't nearly as preoccupied with performance-enhancing drugs in baseball as they were a few years ago. Here are some hot stove-related notes:

  • Olney hears that the Twins are still optimistic about signing Joe Mauer long-term. The catcher is less than a year away from hitting the open market, but that's more than enough time for the sides to reach an agreement. 
  • D'Backs GM Josh Byrnes takes responsibility for the Eric Byrnes deal. However, Olney hears that ownership decided to sign the left fielder for $30MM. 
  • As we noted earlier today, the Marlins wanted to sign Josh Johnson before MLB and the MLBPA called them out for their spending habits. Now that they've locked up their ace, the Marlins are looking to add to their bullpen.

Giants Notes: Byrnes, Winn, LaRoche

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Let's take a look at some Giants-related tidbits courtesy of the San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea..

  • Eric Byrnes, who was recently designated for assignment by the D-Backs, told Shea that San Francisco would be the "best fit" for him geographically.  Byrnes grew up a Giants fan and makes his offseason home in the Bay Area.  The 33-year-old outfielder also admitted that he's not in a position to call himself an everyday player.
  • Shea floats ex-Giant Randy Winn as an option for the Mets should they seek someone to fill-in while Carlos Beltran recovers from surgery.
  • Adam LaRoche turned down a two-year, $17MM offer from the Giants to sign with the Arizona, where he may receive as little as $6MM for one year.  LaRoche said that one reason for his decision was that he preferred Chase Field's hitting conditions to AT&T Park.

Odds & Ends: Kouzmanoff, Taguchi, Draft

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Some links on this frosty Saturday night…

  • Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic spoke to Diamondbacks general manager Josh Byrnes, who took full responsibility for Eric Byrnes' three-year, $30MM contract.  Arizona designated Byrnes for assignment on Friday.
  • The Rays have four remaining arbitration-eligible players in Jason Bartlett, Matt Garza, J.P. Howell, and B.J. Upton.  The club will stick with their policy of cutting off negotiations after exchanging figures, which happens at noon on Tuesday, writes Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.  Tampa Bay does this to try to bring about a settlement and to avoid settling at an artificial midpoint between the two figures.
  • Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com isn't terribly upset that the O's weren't the club to land Kevin Kouzmanoff.  Kubatko understands frustrations over the Orioles' lack of production at third, but notes that the 28-year-old's offensive production was nothing to write home about in 2009.  Kouzmanoff hit .255/.302/.420 with 18 HRs for the Padres last season.
  • As we heard earlier today, a committee is being formed to work on changes to the amateur draft.  The committee will look into making the draft worldwide and instituting a slotting system.  Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues doesn't see any changes being made until after 2011, when the collective bargaining agreement expires.
  • The Orix Buffaloes are close to signing So Taguchi, according to a report from Sponichi passed along by Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker (via Twitter).  The 40-year-old emerged with the Cubs at the end of last season, making 12 plate appearances in six games.

Diamondbacks Sign Adam LaRoche

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The Diamondbacks signed Adam LaRoche to a one-year $6MM deal that could keep him in Arizona through the 2011 season. The streaky first baseman makes $4.5MM in 2010. Afterwards, he'll either receive a $1.5MM buyout or agree to exercise a $7.5MM mutual option for 2011.

The D'Backs were not known to be interested in LaRoche and it wasn't apparent that they had the money to sign him, but the move makes sense. It allows the club to play Conor Jackson in left field and give Brandon Allen more minor league seasoning. Eric Byrnes is the odd man out; the D'Backs designated him for assignment today in a move that will likely end his tenure in Arizona.

LaRoche reportedly turned down a two-year, $17.5MM deal from the Giants earlier this offseason, as he was aiming for three years. The 30-year-old earned $7.05MM in '09 and hit .278/.357/.487 with 24 home runs for the Pirates, Braves, and Red Sox. He was a Type B free agent, but the Braves chose not to offer arbitration.

Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first reported the agreement and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports, SI's Jon Heyman, Frankie Piliere of AOL FanHouse and Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic added detail.

Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed to this post.

D’Backs Rumors: Valverde, Byrnes, Snyder

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A D'Backs official tells Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that the team's payroll now sits at about $75MM. Piecoro gets the sense that the D'Backs have the flexibility to spend a little more, but not much. That means Jose Valverde could return to the D'Backs if his asking price drops (let's not rule that out; the market for Valverde isn't great right now).

Not surprisingly, the D'Backs aren't likely to deal Chris Snyder or Eric Byrnes any time soon. Interestingly, the D'Backs approached Byrnes about a deal that would have seen the team grant Byrnes his release if he agreed to defer some of the $11MM he's owed. This would have freed up 2010 salary for the D'Backs and given Byrnes the chance to look for a new opportunity. The outfielder was apparently not receptive to the possible arrangement, so he's on the D'Backs for now. 

Stark On Halladay, Bradley, Lackey, Gonzalez

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The Blue Jays are still demanding nearly as much for Roy Halladay as they were this summer, according to ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. The Angels, Phillies and Yankees appear to be "the only realistic destinations" for Halladay at this point. The Angels would apparently want Halladay to sign an extension if they traded for him, but the Jays don't appear to be close to dealing their ace away. Here are the rest of Stark's rumors:

  • One GM would be shocked if the Angels don't sign Jason Bay or John Lackey. The Angels haven't shown any indications that they're ready to offer Lackey A.J. Burnett money ($82.5MM).
  • The Yankees are focused on adding a free agent starter and determining whether Johnny Damon will return.
  • If the Cubs and Rays can figure out the money, Milton Bradley could still end up in Tampa Bay.
  • The Red Sox will have a hole at first or third if and when the Mike Lowell deal goes through, but you can count out Adrian Gonzalez. Stark says the Padres just have no motivation to move the hometown slugger.
  • The Red Sox are "clearly infatuated with" Adrian Beltre.
  • Dan Uggla, Francisco Cordero, Luis Castillo, Lyle Overbay, Kerry Wood, Kyle Farnsworth, Gary Matthews Jr., Juan Pierre, Jose Guillen and Eric Byrnes were all being shopped this week.
  • Stark notes that the market for starting pitchers hasn't been bad so far, pointing to Randy Wolf and Andy Pettitte as examples.

Odds & Ends: Cubs, Byrnes, Orioles

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Links for Wednesday…

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