Done Deal!

Eric Byrnes and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a one-year contract worth $4.575 Million, thus obviating the need for the arbitration hearing that was scheduled for Feb. 15.

When the two parties exchanged salary figures in January, the D'Backs came in with $4.25 Million while Byrnesie asked for $5 Mil. He earned $2.25 Million in 2006.

We'd been hoping our homer-hitting, base-stealing, diving, leaping, and not-being-afraid-of-the-wall favorite baseballplayer would get the $5 Mil. If Gary Mathews, Jr. could get a 5-year contract averaging 10 Million a year, EB was worth 5 million. But with the D'Backs up to their eyeballs in outfield prospects, they weren't going to hand it over voluntarily.

He might have won it at the arbitration hearing, but even when you get what you ask for at such a hearing, there is a heavy psychological price to pay. The arbitration hearing is an adversarial process in which the club will put forward all its "reasons" why they don't think you're worth that much money. Do you really want to hear all this negative stuff about you on the cusp of spring training?

Some players can file all the unpleasantry under the term "it's a business" and let it fall like water off a duck's back. They just want to try to make every penny they can and will do what they have to to make it, including putting up with arbitration hearing unpleasantness. But, based on all we've heard from and about Byrnesie, we think he's got too much heart not to be affected by that negative stuff. Byrnesie is not shy about wanting to make a good living--and his remarks in a phone interview with the AP give us the impression that he is a bit disappointed--but as long as he can see some respect in the money offered, it's about the opportunity to play first, and the money second.

And so the Diamondbacks did well by coming up to a figure that is slightly more than double EB's '06 salary. $5 Million was a figure based on where he thought he fit in the current market. But $4.5 was the bottom line on respect. There was something not right about their not wanting to double Eric's salary after the year he turned in.

So now that the business is done, it's time to focus completely on the work ahead. Work hard, do your best always and have fun, Eric. But forget about wanting to stay in Arizona. Stay focused on the now. Enjoy being there while you are. But let go. In that same AP article, GM Josh Byrnes said, "Eric played great for us in 2006. He's a rare player who can impact the game in a lot of ways -- with his power, with his baserunning, with his defense and certainly every day with his energy." With most other clubs, that kind of assessment would mean a 4 or 5-year deal that would have you making at least $10 Mil by the end of it.

Josh Byrnes is not walking the talk, Eric. Have another big year and go into next off-season from a position of strength, able to pick a team that will want you for 4 or 5 years for your talents and not just as a placeholder till the hot prospect they want is ready for The Show. True success is being wanted for who you are, not just because you are the best of those available at the time, given the circumstances.

Mr. Sabean, are you keeping an eye on Eric Byrnes? Surely you're not going to keep Barry Bonds after this year!

K.R.

P.S. We are not going to be around much during spring training in order to deal with some exciting new opportunities that we hope are going to give us less stress, more time to enjoy live baseball, and more money to afford these outrageous ticket prices and the [fake] fur parka we think should be de rigeur at the Ballpark By the Bay. But we will be in to check for, and sometimes respond to, comments, so please leave them. We will resurface from time to time in spring; we're pondering our 2007 "Benchmarks for Byrnesie" and will post them on Feb. 16th--Eric Byrnes' Birthday.

C.U. Then

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