Report: Marlon Byrd lands in Chicago

December 31, 2009 by Mike Axisa 89 Comments

Via MLBTR, the Cubs have agreed to sign free agent outfielder Marlon Byrd to three freaking year deal. Joe stated his case against Byrd just last night, so it’s good to see this leftfield option come off the board. Three years, really?

Johnny Damon‘s market just got that much smaller.

Mike Pop

Jeez man, three years. Loco.
- Tom Zig
  
  They lost one outfielder with initials MB, so the Cubs had a compelling need to fill that void with another outfielder whose initials are MB.
  
  That and they love to waste money
  - Mike Pop
    
    They love those guys who have great years in Texas.
- http://fmylife.com JobaJr
  
  Hahahahahaha…
  
  Cubs deal Milton Bradley, then shoot themselves in the foot again only days later. I love it.
- http://yankeespeak.com Yankeespeak.com
  
  Tell me about it, another long term/high dollar deal for a middling Outfielder. Clearly Hendry and the Cubs didn’t learn their lesson with Bradley, granted Byrd isn’t a clubhouse cancer like Bradley so maybe the comparison isn’t apt. Ok, he’s a Gray Mathews Jr…Jr.
http://thebronxbloggers.wordpress.com Bronx Blogger

Wow that’s stupid.
Steve H

Thank Mo.
andrew

Well, before we get a dollar value, i wouldn’t call it stupid.

It probably is stupid, we just don’t know for sure yet.
- Doug
  
  3/15. yeah, it’s stupid
  - andrew
    
    not incredibly, worst move ever, stupid. but stupid.
    - Doug
      
      2/10 i’m more than fine with, but 3 years makes it just about the worst move ever imo
      - Chris
        
        Really? Worse than Barry Zito? or Gary Matthews? or Vernon Wells? or Jason Bay?
        
        This deal is likely not even one of the 5 worst deals this offseason, just because the total money at stake isn’t that great.
        
        bkight13
        
        Byrd’s “value” over the last 3 years is well over $30m with WAR’s of 2.6, 3.6 and 2.6. 3/15M seems very reasonable and Wrigley is not exactly a pitcher’s park.
Doug

I know Byrd is 4 years younger, but little chance that Boras let’s Damon sign for 1 year now.

Well, unless there are no more idiot GMs left to dole out these outlandish contracts
mryankee

Why is Johnny Damon being stupid. He knows that he will no nearly have the impact in San Francisco or Seattle. Ballparks do not suit him. Just sign with the Yankees already and lets move onto Chapman.
- Steve H
  
  Like 99.5% of baseball players, he will go for the most money. He has proven that in the past.
  
  And seriously, you want Chapman?
  - mryankee
    
    Perfect replacement for Vizcaino,
    - Steve H
      
      Jose Vizcaino? We haven’t had him in years, and now we need a replacement?
      - theyankeewarrior
        
        Arodys Visciano. The kid we traded for Vazquez. Chapman would replace him as one of our top 3 prospects.
- Tom Zig
  
  Who is chapman?
  - mryankee
    
    Aroldis Chapman you know the pitcher from Cuba?
    - Tom Zig
      
      Where is Cuba?
    - Mike Pop
      
      So mryankee, do you really think the Yankees should sign him?
      - mryankee
        
        Twnety Million lost in the sands of time.
    - Steve H
      
      You mean Cuba Gooding Jr.? I thought he was a football player.
      - slappy white
        
        he might as well be cause he sucks as an actor
      - JMK THE OVERSHARE’s Glenn Beck Complex
        
        Radio is also a deep sea Navy diver. We should totally get him for 2/$12
      - OldYanksFan
        
        I’m OK Cuba Gooding Jr. Maybe a 1 year deal.
NCpinstripes

3 years for Marlon Byrd. And the Cubs wonder why they haven’t won the WS in over 100 years.
Johan Iz My Brohan

The Cubs are trying to have more bad contracts than the Tigers!
mryankee

I am sure Boras is busy trying to get Cashman to take Holliday. However by now I think Damon should fire Boras and take the Yankees offer or he might be sitting this season out.
- Tom Zig
  
  He’ll get a job somewhere.
  - Mike Pop
    
    The last thing Damon should do is fire Boras.
    - mryankee
      
      Whats the difference at this point how many big contracts is he going to sign? He will be retired within 3-4 years.
      - Mike Pop
        
        You don’t fire the best in the business. Having Boras gives him a better chance of getting more money at this point than not having Boras.
        
        Ultimate goal – make the most money you can. Boras is the best at that imo.
        
        mryankee
        
        What is Boras going to present about Damon at this point in his career that any team does not already know? If Damon were between 20-32 or 33 I could see keeping Boras but at this point I think Damon is looking at his last contract.
        
        Steve H
        
        Shouldn’t Damon show him some loyalty by probably getting him an extra $15 million in his career so far?
        
        mryankee
        
        No its how much has Boras made off Damon?
        
        Steve H
        
        Wrong.
    - vin
      
      THIS. If I were a major leaguer, Boras would be my agent. I’d keep my trap shut during my free agency and let Scott take the heat… he’ll gladly play the role of bad guy who is ruining the game.
      - steve s
        
        Damon needs to wake-up and realize that Boras’ outrageous conflict of interest in needing the Yanks as a potential landing spot for Holliday is the reason Damon is not a Yankee today. Once it becomes apparent to Damon that he’s lost millions due to Boras’ tainted advice his only recourse will be to go after Boras and try to recover some of his losses.
mryankee

Well looks like the A’S might snag Aroldis Chapman. BTW intersting point the A’S outbid the Yankees for Michael Inoa?
- Steve H
  
  How does this relate to Marlon Byrd signing with the Cubs?
  - mryankee
    
    I dont know seems like its something of interest.
    - Steve H
      
      http://riveraveblues.com/river-ave-blues-commenting-guidelines/
    - http://www.riveraveblues.com Joseph Pawlikowski
      
      No. Dude, you’ve gotten more warnings than anyone about off-topic posting. Some day our patience will wear out.
      - Jordan
        
        Start the new year off right!
      - jsbrendog
        
        so we’re not gonna trade for verlander and sign holliday?
        
        OldYanksFan
        
        How does this relate to Aroldis Chapman?
      - bkight13
        
        I don’t post here a lot, but read all the time and this drives me crazy. You guys allow a million off-topic movie quotes from the “main” posters, but you bust some guys chops over a single baseball related post.
        
        http://www.riveraveblues.com Joseph Pawlikowski
        
        If something develops in a comment thread, it happens. But this is a fresh comment. He’s not responding to anyone. He’s making a fresh comment about Chapman in a post about Marlon Byrd. That’s what unacceptable.
        
        Tampa Yankee
        
        Speaking of main posters… where is TSJC?
        
        http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bring-Melvin-To-America/193013541601?ref=nf Andy in Sunny Daytona
        
        Vacation
        
        Tampa Yankee
        
        Thanks Andy. I thought Bo/Lanny/Sal/Grant may have finally gotten to him and he went off the deep end!
        
        V
        
        I tried to find a good picture of a guy having fun with a lot of chicks, but couldn’t find anything 1) funny, or 2) Remotely SFW (even with safe search on!).
        
        davtwo
        
        How about for left Anikial, from St Louis. If one year prove yourself deal. Has tools, may be?
Richard Deegan

3/15 for Marion Byrd. Right up there with Cubbies paying 2/ 7.5 MM for their Loogy (Grabow).
So now, what was the point of dumping Bradley to replace him with 5MM of nothing? Were they that hot to grab Silva?
…and y’all though Omar was crazy.
- http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090810&content_id=6355462&vkey=news_nyy&fext=.jsp&c_id=nyy JobaWockeeZ
  
  Yes Omar is crazy. See: Jason Bay. You can also check out something that apparently missed Omar. See: Matt Holliday
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bring-Melvin-To-America/193013541601?ref=nf Andy in Sunny Daytona

I could see Texas being interested in Damon now.
- AeroFANatic
  
  If Texas did not want Byrd back at 5m per or less, do you think Damon would go there where he is more expensive?
  - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bring-Melvin-To-America/193013541601?ref=nf Andy in Sunny Daytona
    
    I think the reason Damon is more expensive that Byrd is because he is a much better player than Byrd.
    - JMK THE OVERSHARE’s Glenn Beck Complex
      
      Don’t cloud the issue. Marlon Byrd donates at least two more hours per year to charity work. He’s a much, much, much better person.
- OldYanksFan
  
  Cashman should call Boris and make a 24 hr offer on JD at 1/$7.5m
Section 39

Thank God Byrd signed with someone else. I don’t think the Yanks every really considered him a viable option, but I’m happy we didn’t hand out this ridiculous contract.

I do think the Cubs just made it more difficult for Damon. Even though I think Damon should go to an AL team where he can DH too, taking the Cubs out of the running for him increases the Yanks chances of getting him back. The more teams that get out of the LF market, the cheaper Damon will get. He is losing his leverage quickly.
- Mac1
  
  Its not a ridiculous contract if he plays CF and posts his career #’s.
  
  Gary Matthews Jr was a ridiculous contract.
  
  At 3 years 15 mil Yanks were right to pass on Byrd, I just want to see them go into st with a better option than Gardner and HoffmaNN.
DRU

Thats why the cubbies are the cubbies. They take it in the @ss with Bradley and have to pick up a 7 figure long man ( Silva ) for the pen just to get rid of him…now they jump right back in with another Texas Stadium inflated hitter coming off a “career year”, which really wasn’t that good to begin with.

Better them than us, the Yankee brass looks smarter and smarter each day.

So I guess we can end the Byrd to LF for the Yanks talk.
DRU

Damon 2010 = Abreu 2009

Id take Johnny back for 1 year at 5M like the Angel did with Bobby last year.
- Tom Zig
  
  Abreu’s Agent =/= Scott Boras
- OldYanksFan
  
  Let’s not squeeze too hard. You can afford $7.5m… yes?
ultimate913

Hey, Mike. Can you make a post about Damon’s options and any teams that could potentially sign Damon(including or excluding the Yankees)? I’d like to know what options he has left.
- whozat
  
  You could just search “Damon” on mlbtraderumors.com, read what comes up, and then form your own opinion.
  - Chris
    
    But then we wouldn’t be able to comment on it here.
  - V Squared
    
    Then why have this blog? The guy asked Mike nicely and you have to be a Pedroia about it.
slappy white

I read that before they signed Byrd the Cubs were looking at Ankiel…..Is he being considered by the Yanks ?
Mo

I don’t think Marlon Byrd is a great player and I’m glad the Yanks didn’t sign him but I don’t think 3/15 is bad. Gary Mathews is a bad contract, Carlos Silva, MIlton Bradley, Gil Meche and Luis castillo are BAD contracts.
- slappy white
  
  Luis Castillo is a great contract…..for the Yankees
gio

Any chance Boras starts fielding 1-2 year offers, hoping the market for Holliday will improve next year? I’d take him on a 1-year, $15mm deal…
- Steve H
  
  Not a chance, especially at 1/$15.
  - 28 next year
    
    yea because Holliday could get a higher AAV than that. He would need to be overpaid one year so that he could enter the market another time. However, I think this was his time to cash in and with teh possibility of FA like Mauer, Lee, and Beckett next year with King Felix the year after could really hurt Holliday in that teams like ours, would still not go after him and people with money would rather sign a pitcher for that much than a left fielder.
- 28 next year
  
  mlbtr has something on that,
  
  however, you’d have to overpay on a one year deal. You wouldn’t get him for 15 but I think I would take him for 20mm maybe even a touch more for 1 year. The key is, I think Steinbrenner would bump up payroll for a one year deal that could improve teh club that much. I think everyone agree Holliday would be helpful, just not on a long term commitment. I would go for that one year deal without even thinking.
- whozat
  
  This year, he’s the best on the market. Next year, there’s Joe Mauer, Cliff Lee, Josh Beckett, and in LF the younger Crawford with the “more athletic” moniker…This is the best market for Matt Holliday.
  
  Besides, until we see details on the Cards negotiations, it’s waaaay premature to think Boras is even considering this. The rumored numbers (which may be totally made up, I admit) are in the right ballpark, certainly high enough that 1/15 isn’t gonna happen.
- Doug
  
  his target price is apparently $22.5M per year (average value) and the st. louis writer is saying he might consider a shorter deal to get that.
  
  however, if it’s true that there are $100M+ deals on the table, there is no chance he risks that security for a much shorter deal for a bit more $ per
Tampa Yankee

I love the “tease” on MSN (Fox Sports) for the Byrd signing:
“Source: Cubs get big-hitting CF for $15M”.

Apparently, Sucka Got No Juice doesn’t read RAB.
- Steve H
  
  Big-hitting CF? Who the hell did the Cubs sign?
  - http://kierstenschmidt.com Kiersten
    
    …I thought Curtis Granderson was on the Yankees?
Mac1

I wanted Byrd, but 3 years 15 mil is easy to pass on for the Yanks.

For the Cubs, if he plays CF and gives them his career #’s, its a decent deal.

I’d like to see the Yanks bring Damon’s bat back, or trade for a guy like DeJesus – good D, good arm, 780 ops – proven makor league player around 30 who is healthy and can start every day.
http://jukeofurl.wordpress.com Juke Early

Since Byrd has flown elsewhere, Mac1 must have got into my batch of New Year’s Eve Kool-Aid. I really don’t mean to be stupid or provocative. But how about getting DeJesus – would KC be that tough to tempt? Must be some young controllable NYY mL-ers they like. I’d suggest a “out of left field” blockbuster. But I don’t want the bad juju to kick off 2010…
JFH

i am glad byrd is out of the picture. if only reed johnson were off the list of possibilities too. i am still hoping for damon or x-man, long shots that they are.
Fud

Byrd or Damon? I’ll take damon