SB Nation - Marlon Byrd

Future Free Agent Mistake Power Rankings, 12/15

Grant — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:33:51 -0000

The offseason is quickly dividing the fanbase into two camps:

No moves is good moves. The longer we’re not hearing about a four-year deal to Adam LaRoche, the less likely we’re ever going to hear about one.
WHY AREN’T YOU DOING ANYTHING, SABES? THE MARINERS JUST SIGNED CLIFF LEE AND WE DON’T EVEN HAVE AN OFFER IN TO (hitter) YET?

In the interest of ruining that first sentence before I get a chance to back it up, I’m somewhere in the middle. When I watch the Mariners get a one-year rental to drastically upgrade their team, a part of me secretly envies them, even though I wouldn’t want the Giants to follow suit. They have a shiny new toy. I like shiny new toys. Scott Podsednik would be an itchy sweater made out of possum fur, but you knew that.

The big deals aren’t the only ones that are making me jealous, either. The Blue Jays acquired Michael Taylor from the Phillies for Roy Halladay, and then they turned right around and traded Taylor for Brett Wallace. Hot prospect-for-prospect action! The rarest kind! And while I have my guesses as to who came out ahead (the A’s), we won’t know for a few years. But right now, each team has a shiny new toy. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t trade Madison Bumgarner for Justin Smoak, but it’d be interesting, at least. We’re halfway through December, and we’re without any interesting. I could use some interesting.

You know what else is interesting? Scott Podsednik on a two-year deal. That’s interesting like a kitchen fire. Maybe interesting isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I’m scared of interesting and the Giants.

So with no news directly relating to the Giants, but with plenty of news reducing the options the Giants have in free agency, it’s time for another Future Free Agent Mistake Power Rankings. Who will be the Aaron Rowand of 2011? Well, Aaron Rowand, for one. But maybe he’ll have some overpaid company!

Scott Podsednik -- OF -- ↑

Number one with a bullet. A signing that in the best case provides marginal upgrade while swallowing most of a limited budget? Oh, sure, I’ll take two. I think it’s disturbing that a team could seriously think about Eugenio Velez as a leadoff hitter and corner outfielder. More disturbing? That Velez could outproduce the Podsednik from ’07 and ’08 with his thumbs taped together. But don’t worry: when 34-year-olds drastically improve, those gains usually stick. Or is it the other way around? This baseball stuff is confusing!

Adam LaRoche-- 1b -- ↑

It’s hard to be this high on the list when you’re a player who would improve the team over the internal options, but LaRoche’s ridiculous contract demands, combined with merely decent production, makes this a great chance to rowand the Giants into a corner by the end of the contract.

Marlon Byrd -- OF -- ↓

With Mike Cameron off the market, Byrd is one of the better center fielders, and it’s been almost two years since Sabean has signed a center fielder. His palms are sweaty, his mouth is dry, and his sponsor isn’t returning his calls. Mmmmm. An overpriced center fielder sounds pretty good right about now, especially when you’re still kicking yourself for missing out on Gary Matthews, Jr.

Jermaine Dye -- OF -- ↓

Sabean explicitly mentioned Dye as someone the Giants aren’t interested in. But I think that’s like when I tell my wife something like, "No, I don’t even really find Jessica Alba that attractive. Her earlobes aren’t symmetrical, and you know how I am about that." I have trust issues with our intrepid GM.

Mark DeRosa—3B/LF -- ↑

At the right price, I’d welcome DeRosa. He’s not going to get the right price. DeRosa’s decline last year might have been age related, but it might have been a BABIP-influenced fluke. I sure as heck wouldn’t commit millions to the latter theory, but if he’s starting in left field instead of Velez, I might be able to ignore the horrible contract for a year. And it will be a horrible contract.

Jason Bay-- OF -- ↑

He says he has no interest in the Giants. The Giants say they have no interest in him. There are still rumors floating around that the Giants really are interested. So when I read that Bay said he’s not interested in San Francisco, I’m guessing he said it while doing that money pantomime thing, rubbing his thumb and fingers together while he raises his eyebrows and gives you that look.

Garrett Atkins -- DH -- ↑

I’ll admit, the 2006 and 2007 versions are intriguing, but chasing after past glories only makes sense if it’s cheap. That, and Atkins is the worst defensive third baseman in the history of the game. Would it be in poor taste to suggest that Ron Santo has better range, even today? Yes? Okay, then I won’t write that. But Atkins is an abomination. Maybe he’s better at first, but he isn’t that likely to be a good enough hitter to displace Travis Ishikawa. I’d take Atkins over Ishikawa, but only for a few hundred thousand dollars’ difference.

Inconsequential Sub-Mediocre Free Agent Catcher -- C -- ↓

It’s going to happen, so the exact one – Miguel Olivo, Rod Barajas, Mike Sadek – doesn’t really matter. And as long as it isn’t a two-year deal, I can almost accept it, but you know whomever they acquire will play 150 games under Bochy. In GiantsLand, a catcher can make up for a .290 on-base percentage by calling a good game and handling a staff, so there’s no question that SMFAC will be more valuable than Buster Posey next year.

Johnny Damon -- OF -- ↓

He can probably still hit, and he isn’t Scott Podsednik. Heck, I think I might be in favor of a Damon deal at this point. The only problem is that if he’s going to take two years, he’ll probably just take it from the Yankees.

Hank Blalock -- 3B? -- ↓

No one is talking about him, and that scares me. I can imagine DeRosa, Nick Johnson, and LaRoche all taking other offers on the same day, leaving the Giants in a Garkoless panic.

I guess these rankings are, by design, doom-and-gloom. Maybe that’s not fair. But the Giants and free agency in the past few years have mixed like diarrhea and first dates. So, please, forgive me and the black cloud over my head.

Winter Meetings, Day Three: A Byrd in the hand is worth, like, $2M, tops.

Grant — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:31:56 -0000

With Twitter mavens bringing in every stray rumor written on the bathroom wall, this year's Winter Meetings are insufferable. Don't like a player? Don't think he'd be a good fit? Well, people from the St. Olaf Bugler, USA Today, and The Economist are all tweeting that the Giants are extremely interested in that player. Blood pressure up, lucidity down, and we're only 40% through the week.

The rumors make for a neat little fantasyworld, even though there's no way to discern which ones are legit. Brian Sabean might have called the Padres and said something like, "Hey, we have two guys I don't really want to make room for on my bench. Are you giving Kevin Kouzmanoff away?" and the Padres might have chuckled, but the rumor is filtered as: "GIANTS IN ON KOUZ; PADS NOT WACKY ABOUT FRANDSO AND FLEW" by the time newsies are singing it on the the street corners.

And it's tough to take quotes seriously, even when they're straight from the source. There's nothing to gain by raising expectations. After the breathless C.C. Sabathimania of last year's offseason -- the next person to mention a "hometown discount" gets an oyster fork to the throat -- there's no reason for Sabean to say, "Oh, yeah, we have the money for someone like Jason Bay or Matt Holliday. We hope they like us. Are they looking at us? DON'T LOOK! Oh my god, did they see you? Are they looking at us? We totally like them." If those tires need kicking, it's best if they're kicked in the dark when no one else is looking.

If the best options don't like us like us, though, there's also nothing to gain by saying things like...

Man, if we have to start Eugenio Velez in left, we are screwed. Like, totally screwed. And we don't really think Edgar Renteria can still play, by the by. He's done, but, what, are we going to try Brian Bocock again?

It makes sense that the Giants would express faith in the fallback options and the de facto starters, even if there isn't a whole lot of supporting evidence behind the words.

(At this point, my post turned into another 500-word screed against a front office that believes Eugenio Velez is a viable corner outfielder on a team trying to improve an offense. It really did, and it included the words "freak jousting accident" and "spindly baserunning nonsense." I'm not really sure what it had to do with the Winter Meetings, but that's what this time of year does to a fella. The screed will be included on the second disc of the McCovey Chronicles DVD.)

So now that we've established that there's nothing worth believing, the Giants are linked to Marlon Byrd, Mike Cameron, Nick Johnson, Adrian Beltre, Mark DeRosa, and maybe even Jason Bay. But not Jermaine Dye, which is disinterest I want to believe in, but I just can't yet. I'd be fine with most of those names on one-year deals, begrudgingly accepting of most on two-year deals, and mortified at anything at three years and beyond for anyone not named Matt Holliday. Well, and Jason Bay, but I don't want to admit that, lest I be beaten with a UZR stick. Those things hurt.

Winter Meetings Day Three Continuation Thread.

Tuesday a.m. Rangers things

Adam J. Morris — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:44:19 -0000

And the winter meetings continue...

Marlon Byrd turned down arbitration, and T.R. Sullivan writes that the Rangers have a "sliver of hope" that they can bring him back. Pudge Rodriguez will not be back, since he signed a 2 year, $6 million deal with the Nationals.

Jeff Wilson writes about the outfield alignment for next year, with Julio Borbon apparently slated to hit leadoff and play centerfield.

Richard Durrett says that there's a lot of talk about Kevin Millwood being shopped, but he doesn't think the Rangers will move him.

Sullivan says the D-Backs offered Chris Snyder for C.J. Wilson, and were politely told no.

There's also a story up about how popular the Rangers' pitching depth among other teams.

Cubs close to deal with Mike Cameron?

Eli Greenspan — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:37:48 -0000

More photos » by Tom Mihalek - AP

Browse more photos »

The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that the Cubs' top option for center field is free agent Mike Cameron. Piniella and Cameron have history going back to their time in Seattle together, and there is believed to be mutual interest in a reunion.

''I love the guy,'' Piniella said Friday night in Cincinnati during a reunion event for the 1990 World Series champions at the annual Redsfest. ''Mike is somebody we've talked about. I'm looking forward to Sunday, [when team officials meet before] the meetings over in Indianapolis.''

However, the Cubs need to unload Milton Bradley first, and are hoping to move him before the Winter Meetings kick off on Monday. That way, there will be enough money to ink Cameron.

Cameron would give the Cubs an option in the two spot or in the five spot, based upon where he hit last year. He strikes out a lot, but he gives the Cubs another run producer who has a great feel for the outfield. His addition would push Kosuke Fukudome back to right field.

A Cubs lineup with Cameron would look something like this:

Mike Cameron

Kosuke Fukudome

Jeff Baker/Mike Fontenot

A pretty dangerous lineup on paper if guys like Soto and Soriano can return to form. Sources say the Cubs are not exploring the second base market, but guys like Felipe Lopez are still available.

The team is also looking at outfielder Marlon Byrd.

Mike Cameron Again On Cubs' Radar

Al — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:21:43 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Browse more photos »

So says Gordon Wittenmyer in today's Sun-Times:

Center fielder Mike Cameron could take center stage for the Cubs by the time the winter meetings begin Monday in Indianapolis, depending on how quickly they can slam the door on Milton Bradley's tail and how much room is left in the payroll.

What's clear is the Cubs' interest and the strength of manager Lou Piniella's relationship with Cameron, who spent the past two seasons with Milwaukee.

"I love the guy," Piniella said Friday night in Cincinnati during a reunion event for the 1990 World Series champions at the annual Redsfest. "Mike is somebody we've talked about. I'm looking forward to Sunday, [when team officials meet before] the meetings over in Indianapolis."

About ten days ago, I made this post comparing two potential acquisitions for the Cubs, Cameron and Marlon Byrd. For 2010, I think Cameron is a much better choice -- Byrd, coming off a career year, is likely going to be asking for far more money and years than the Cubs should commit. Signing Cameron at age 37 risks him having a decline at that age, but he had a pretty good year in 2009, and his OPS and OPS+ numbers have been remarkably consistent for the last eleven seasons.

In Wrigley Field, Cameron is a lifetime .261/.355/.521 hitter in 119 AB, hitting eight home runs, and he hits slightly better in day games (.803 lifetime OPS) than in night games (.782). There's no question about his outstanding defense, and he draws a fair number of walks (75 in 2009).

For the right price, and presuming the Cubs can move Bradley, Cameron would be a perfect fit for 2010. I wouldn't sign him to more than a one-year deal with an option year, but that might work out just right.

Braves Rumors

Eli Greenspan — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:53:33 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

Browse more photos »

After signing two relievers earlier this week, the Braves are still keeping tabs on the market in hopes of landing an outfielder or first baseman. The Braves are still talking with Adam LaRoche, but reports that they are also talking to Nick Johnson indicate that the LaRoche negotiations might not be going as planned.

Johnson hit .291 with 8 home runs in 133 games with the Nationals and Marlins last season, and is also drawing interest from the Mets, Orioles, and Giants. Sources say the Giants are the favorites to land him.

In the outfield, the Braves are considering Marlon Byrd and Mark DeRosa. DeRosa, a former Brave, would give the Braves a reliable veteran who can play the corner outfield spots, first, second, and third base. He is coming off back-to-back 20 home run seasons, but offseason wrist surgery might bring his power back down to the 10-12 homer range.

Byrd is also coming off a solid season, and would give the Braves a solid center fielder, meaning Nate McLouth can be moved to one of the corners. Byrd hit well for the Rangers, but was not as patient at the plate as he was in 2008.

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Marlon Byrd	146	547	66	155	43	2	20	89	32	98	8	4	.283	.329	.479

One AL source contemplated the idea of the Braves and Tigers discussing a deal around Curtis Granderson. The Braves have an influx of pitching, and could send Javier Vazquez or Derek Lowe (with cash) in a package for the outfielder. As of right now, that has not been confirmed.

Next week the Braves will talk with the representatives of Adam LaRoche, who has drawn interest from the Mets, and likely will try to deal a starting pitcher to free up some additional cash.

MLB Trade Rumors: Atlanta Hot After Mike Cameron or Marlon Byrd??

raygu — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:00:17 -0000

by Luis Alvarez - AP

4 months ago: Milwaukee Brewers' Mike Cameron hits a two-run home run against the Washington Nationals during the second inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009, in Washington. The Brewers won 11-9. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

View full size photo »

I was flipping back and forth between the XM Radio Grateful Dead station and XM 175 tonight on my drive home and caught some of the interview with Mark Bowman, the Atlanta Braves beat writer for MLB.com. Bowman was interview by Joe Castellano and Jim Bowden.

As I switched over, Bowman was talking about the Braves interest in Mike Cameron and Marlon Byrd. I haven't heard this rumor before, but I was curious where Nate McLouth would play should the Braves sign Cameron or Byrd as they are both centerfielders. I assume McLouth will play right field till Jason Heyward is ready, but I thought the Braves were going to allow Heyward a chance to win the right field job in spring training.

More after the jump:

Bowden and Castellano then asked about Heyward, and Bowman felt that the Braves will have him play a few more months in AAA before bringing him up in June, similar to how they handled Tommy Hanson this year.

Should Heyward get the call in June, and everyone expects that to happen, I assume Matt Diaz would either be trade bait or platoon with McLouth and Heyward, as he crushed left-handed pitching to the tune of .412-.464-.640-1.103 in 136 at bats in 2009.

So who should the Braves sign? Cameron went 24-70-7-.250-..342-.452-.795 with the Brewers in 2009, while Byrd went 20-89-8-.283-.329-.479-.808 with Texas in 2009.

Poll

Who should the Braves sign this offseason: Marlon Byrd or Mike Cameron?

Byrd-he's younger and will be cheaper.

118 votes

Cameron-he's a solid defensive CFer and is a good guy in the clubhouse

136 votes

Neither-Heyward is ready.

112 votes

366 votes | Poll has closed

Rangers offer Marlon Byrd, Pudge Rodriguez arbitration

Adam J. Morris — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 23:57:24 -0000

The Rangers have offered arbitration to Marlon Byrd and Pudge Rodriguez, which means that they will receive a sandwich pick for either or both guys, if one or both signs with another team.

The deadline for them to accept or decline is Sunday night. Byrd is going to decline, almost certainly, but I think Pudge is going to end up accepting. I think there's a realistic possibility he'll make more money through arbitration than he will in the open market, and he's talked about wanting to stay in Texas (although the departure of Rudy Jaramillo did result in him backing off on that).

Tuesday a.m. Rangers stuff

Adam J. Morris — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:58:05 -0000

Another day without much Rangers news...

Today is the deadline for the Rangers to offer arbitration to their free agents, with Marlon Byrd being a definite, and Pudge Rodriguez a maybe. Everyone else will not be offered arbitration.

Evan Grant has an item up with some info from John Blake regarding playoff ticket refunds, with the final refunds supposedly being done yesterday.

T.R. Sullivan mailbag up

Adam J. Morris — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:28:05 -0000

T.R. Sullivan has a new mailbag column up...

A couple of items that jumped out...someone suggests trading David Murphy and Chris Davis for Curtis Granderson. Of course, that wouldn't get you close to getting a deal done...but then Sullivan suggests that if you are going to pay Granderson the $30 million he's due over the next four years, you'd be better off paying Marlon Byrd. The problem there, of course, is that Granderson is a much better player than Byrd, particularly defensively.

There's also a question about giving up Edwin Jackson, who Sullivan says would cost C.J. Wilson and Nelson Cruz or David Murphy. I wouldn't trade any of those three guys for Jackson straight up, personally. Edwin Jackson isn't that good.