Byrd Signs With Chi Cubs

NT03 · December 31, 2009

Doesn't surprise me he hooked with Rudy again , the 2 are pretty close. As a Cub fan I'm glad to have him.

I don't follow the Rangers all that much , so someone please answer this for me: Were the Rangers even trying to re sign this guy or were they already looking towards another direction & who takes his place ?

I can't imagine the TX giving him 3 years , but Jim Henry is willing to give anyone any kind of $ for any length of time. I still don't see how he has job after trading DeRossa & signing Bradley.... you just can't get stupider than that.

ESPN

Edited December 31, 2009 by NT03

Green Mean · December 31, 2009

I didn't expect 5 million a year for Byrd but to be honest he is such a huge upgrade over Bradley. He is a great clubhouse guy and a leader. There were times last year that he himself carried the Rangers offense when the offense sucked. I think it will be big for the Cubs. Great signing and a great person.

MDH · January 1, 2010

I'm really not a fan of this offseason for the Rangers seeing as what the Mariners and Angels are doing. Luckily I'm a Mariners fan first, should be an exciting year for us.

Quoner · January 1, 2010

Newberg talked about Byrd, the AL West picture and what to look for next year this morning: http://newbergreport.com/article.asp?articleid=1689. I hate to lose Byrd as a guy I really enjoyed in Arlington the last few years, but giving him a few years of big money to stay and block up a crowded outfield (assuming Moreland and Beltre live up to their status/prior production in a year or two) doesn't make complete sense.

And, since a Cubs reporter didn't like the Byrd signing, here's a good response from Rob Neyer at ESPN:http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/1903/are-cubs-getting-the-byrd-they-want. I'm really interested to see how he and Rudy do next year in the NL.

It's a bit premature to go around the AL West since I think there will be more to come all the way through March, but:

Seattle added Figgins and Bradley while subtracting Beltre and Bedard. If Branyan doesn't repeat his career 30 homer year, they should have a bunch of 15-20 homer guys and a strong top of the order ala the Twins. I think they need a power bat and a pitcher, but I can't believe how quickly they remade themselves since they lost 100 games.

The Angels have lost Lackey, Figgins, Vlad and Oliver, but people keep forgetting that they probably did the Kazmir trade to mitigate Lackey's loss last year. They are relying on Matsui, Hunter and Abreu to fill the gaps as their younger hitters develop. I have a giant stiffy for Kendry Morales when he gets in a groove and I don't think they'll backslide as much as people think. I don't like the Rodney deal, but if the Rangers and Hurdle don't fix their penchant for striking out every 4 seconds, he could own us.

Oakland has solid kids, gave the Rangers fits late last year and should be better than they were for the first half last year. Every team in the division has enough prospects to make a big move or two before the season, so it should be fun times on the hot stove all the way through spring.