Byrnes Is History in AZ!
Here’s why I can say that so categorically: the Arizona Diamondbacks announced their promotional schedule several days ago. The team is giving away something at all its Saturday and Sunday games this year. On the schedule are 6 bobblehead days, including giveaways honoring rookie Carlos Quentin and broadcaster Mark Grace. There is a kids replica jersey T-shirt giveaway day for rookie Chris Young. There is a Baxter kids replica jersey T-shirt giveaway day. Baxter is the team’s mascot. Rookie Stephen Drew rates two giveaways: a figurine (not to be confused with a bobblehead), and a growth chart. Sophomore Conor Jackson also rates two giveaways: a bobblehead and a figurine.
Byrnes may appear on the trading cards they are planning to give away on July 14, if he’s still there. But there is no separate mention of him on the Diamondbacks press release announcing the promotional schedule.
Promotions honoring three rookies, a broadcaster, and a mascot, but nothing for a fan favorite, who led the team in home runs and stolen bases last year–what does that say to you? I know what it says to me. It says that the front office has known all along that they would trade Byrnes during this season. And they’ve known it since at least the day they had to put in the orders for the items that they will give away this season.
This is a repeat of what I saw in Oakland in 2005. In September 2004, I bought the last Byrnes/22 T-shirt from the store at the Coliseum. In June of 2005, when I went to a game, I did not see any Byrnes shirts being sold in any of the sales booths around the stadium. Byrnes was gone six weeks later, and despite the claim of the A’s front office that they were not trying to trade him, trade rumors were rampant during the off-season after 2004, and everybody knew early in the year that they were trying to get rid of him.
The Diamondbacks need to assure themselves of Scott Hairston’s readiness to handle left field, and perhaps to a lesser extent, of Jeff DaVanon’s full rehab from last year’s surgeries. A good spring training by Hairston and a good medical report on DaVanon, and then it’s just a matter of time. For all we know, other teams have inquired about Byrnes already.
Let’s hope those other teams are teams who would want him as an everyday player and who have a good chance to win. Then next year, after Barry Bonds retires, Eric can sign on with his hometown team.
ByrnesBlogger1
mlblogsbyrnesblog
If it’s any consolation, maybe they’ll trade him to a team that plays the Red Sox. I’d be able to get you some pictures that way!
Kelly
http://sittingstill.mlblogs.com/
Eric’s still trade bait in the sense he’s not in the team’s plans beyond this year, but as for being traded during this season based on the lack of 07 promos, I wonder if there aren’t alternate conclusions to draw.
IOW, werent the promos conceived well before EB’s latest contract? I’m not suggesting the contract categorically guarantees EB a full season in AZ, but it does suggest to me that his role/position has been solidified in the interim.
In terms of unloading OFs, my guess is Hairston is top priority, Byrnes second. As you know, Melvin adores DaVanon(the new Gonzo?
- and CQ and CY obviously arent going anywhere.
http://azdiamondhacks.mlblogs.com/
IOW, werent the promos conceived well before EB’s latest contract?
I don’t see how that makes a difference. AZ had his rights for this year and knew they would sign him for at least this year.
As for unloading OFs, my guess is that Byrnes is first priority because A) he’s more expensive than Hairston, B) he’s older than Hairston, C) they may figure they can get more in return for Byrnes than for Hairston.
Hairston becomes top trade-bait once Justin Upton makes the team.
“…and knew they would sign him for at least this year.”
They didnt have to sign him, did they? What I’m getting at is, if you “knew” you wanted to trade Byrnes, wouldn’t it make more sense to do it a) before he signs the contract and b)immediately following a 25/25 season the FO suspects may not be duplicated?
The Hairston hype seems more a prelude to trading Scott than a signal he’s a genuine threat to Byrnsie in LF. If the FO wanted to play Hairston, or even if the Eric/Scott horserace was reasonably close, wouldnt Hairston get the benefit of the doubt due to his age, cost and being out of minor lg options? Instead, Eric signed for 4 or 5 million and Hairston’s still fighting to make the roster.
The Dbacks, as you know, likely lose compensation if SH is optioned to Tucson, leaving 3 viable options: 1. Usurp Byrnes position in LF. 2. Sit on an NL bench(AZ) as a RH pinch hitter(on a team full of righties), who cant really play a position. 3. Get traded. If 1 was going to happen, I think it already would have, and 2 seems to be a fallback position if Arizona cant pull off their preferred choice(#3).
DaVanon, of course, is another ball of wax, but I really think the Byrnes/Hairston showdown is over.
They didnt have to sign him, did they? What I’m getting at is, if you “knew” you wanted to trade Byrnes, wouldn’t it make more sense to do it a) before he signs the contract
I don’t know how that works out legally, or even in terms of MLB business practice. I would think, at minimum, a receiving team would want a player signed to a contract, even if the were going to try to negotiate an extention, because, if he weren’t signed, and he didn’t like the team he was being traded to, he could just not report, claim that his old team, in Byrnes’ case AZ, had abandoned his rights, and declare free agency?
I know everyone said that Bronson Arroyo signing the 3-year deal with Boston for a “hometown discount” made him more attractive as trade bait.
DaVanon is indeed another ball of wax, but I think they have to assess his health in ST before any moves are made.
Uh, do either of you really think that baseball owners and managers use rational methods of decision making?
We sure argue the point like they do.
But maybe that’s just saying that we would use rational methods.
I see your point. If they used rational methods, Chris Young for Jon Garland would have been a no-brainer.