February 07, 2007
Short Term Byrnes
The Diamondbacks cleared their arbitration list with the signing of Eric Byrnes to a one-year contract. That appears to be all the time Eric will get with Arizona:
The Diamondbacks took care of their last remaining arbitration-eligible player on Tuesday by agreeing with Eric Byrnes on a one-year deal, but it continues to look as if the hard-nosed outfielder will be testing the free-agent market after this season.
Byrnes and the Diamondbacks came to terms on $4.575 million deal, but the two sides had limited discussions on a multiyear contract. Though he didn't rule it out, General Manager Josh Byrnes said he didn't expect discussions to pick back up during the season.
The Diamondbacks have right fielder Carlos Quentin and center fielder Chris Young expected to play every day this season and a slew of other young outfielders - Scott Hairston, Carlos Gonzalez and Justin Upton, to name a few - either ready for the majors or climbing the organizational ladder.
It's all good for the Diamondbacks. If Eric plays well in his walk year, Arizona can trade him or get a compensation pick. If he Byrnes season is sub-par, they have young players waiting in the wings. Either way, it looks like Josh will be the only Byrnes left in Arizona come November.
Did the D-Backs offer a bonus for Byrnes to stay off Fox's baseball broadcasts? Please, say they did. Maybe we could open a tip jar -- it's definitely a worthy cause.
I think Byrnes has no desire to be a D-Back after this year anyways, so he only has to wear the hideous uni's for one season.