Braves interested in Byrd and Nady (Bad/old info)

[rawaction]

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/12/braves-interested-in-marlon-byrd.html

 

It is MLB Trade Rumors, but my Braves fan co-worker said he's heard it in Braves circles also. I doubt the Cubs trade Byrd though. He's hitting the ball well, seems to be a clubhouse favorite, is playing much better defense than anticipated, and is relatively cheap for 2 1/2 more years.

[inari]

You know, MLBTR is pretty good now. Their reputation is inevitable because of their past, but they've been reliable for several years now.

[cardinalsfan]

You guys should try to get pitching prospects from Braves. They do have good ones.

 

And also try to get Freddie Freeman as a replacement for Derek Lee.

[fromthestretch]

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/12/braves-interested-in-marlon-byrd.html

 

It is MLB Trade Rumors, but my Braves fan co-worker said he's heard it in Braves circles also. I doubt the Cubs trade Byrd though. He's hitting the ball well, seems to be a clubhouse favorite, is playing much better defense than anticipated, and is relatively cheap for 2 1/2 more years.

 

That post is dated 12/4/2009. Is there news of the Braves currently having interest?

[jersey cubs fan]

The Braves have "strong interest" in free agent outfielder Marlon Byrd, in the words of his agent Seth Levinson (MLB.com's Mark Bowman reporting).

 

Bowman, however, believes Byrd is "just one of many candidates that the Braves are evaluating." A Mark DeRosa reunion is possible, with DeRosa apparently willing to take a hometown discount. Back on November 23rd, Dave O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution named Josh Willingham, Mike Cameron, Jermaine Dye, and perhaps Xavier Nady as other right-handed hitters on the Braves' radar.

 

It's an old post about free agency.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I hear they're going to give Heyward a chance.

[Post Count Padder]

I hear they're going to give Heyward a chance.

Yeah, but I don't think he'll be an All Star this year.

[Old Style]

I know that story is old, but I hope we don't trade Byrd. If we do, we better got a lot in return.

[jersey cubs fan]

I know that story is old, but I hope we don't trade Byrd. If we do, we better got a lot in return.

 

He turns 33 soon, and will be 35 before his contract is up. I wouldn't be upset if they traded him, and I hope they do it before 2012.

[dew1679666265]

I know that story is old, but I hope we don't trade Byrd. If we do, we better got a lot in return.

 

He turns 33 soon, and will be 35 before his contract is up. I wouldn't be upset if they traded him, and I hope they do it before 2012.

 

I'd want a really good return this year for him since he's really cheap again next year, but I'd try hard to trade him at next year's deadline.

[rawaction]

Wow. My co-worker sent me that link, I didn't even look at the date.

[Schwarber Fan]

I hear they're going to give Heyward a chance.

Yeah, but I don't think he'll be an All Star this year.

 

I think he'll be overrated by the fans and get voted in when he doesn't really deserve it.

[Guest]

So, does this mean that the Braves aren't interested in Byrd or Nady?

 

If I'm Ricketts/Hendry I put everything on sale and see what the market bares.

[UMFan83]

I know that story is old, but I hope we don't trade Byrd. If we do, we better got a lot in return.

 

He turns 33 soon, and will be 35 before his contract is up. I wouldn't be upset if they traded him, and I hope they do it before 2012.

 

I'd want a really good return this year for him since he's really cheap again next year, but I'd try hard to trade him at next year's deadline.

 

I honestly don't see the appeal of keeping Byrd. He's been decent for us this year, and I guess inexpensive, but like jersey said he's 33. That's why he's cheap. He's not getting any better, and at best he's only moderately above average hitter. Doesn't walk/get on base enough, is ok in the field but not great. You could do a lot better in CF IMO.

 

You could also do a lot worse, so I don't mind keeping him if the right deal comes along. I'm not saying dump him just to dump him. It's not like him being signed would keep us from acquiring another much better CF if one came around. He'd be a great 4th OF.

[jersey cubs fan]

I honestly don't see the appeal of keeping Byrd. He's been decent for us this year, and I guess inexpensive, but like jersey said he's 33. That's why he's cheap. He's not getting any better, and at best he's only moderately above average hitter. Doesn't walk/get on base enough, is ok in the field but not great. You could do a lot better in CF IMO.

 

You could also do a lot worse, so I don't mind keeping him if the right deal comes along. I'm not saying dump him just to dump him. It's not like him being signed would keep us from acquiring another much better CF if one came around. He'd be a great 4th OF.

 

Byrd has been well above average and a clear starting OF.

[SouthSideRyan]

If you think his current line is close to his true ability, I have no idea how you can say he's moderately above average

[dew1679666265]

I honestly don't see the appeal of keeping Byrd. He's been decent for us this year, and I guess inexpensive, but like jersey said he's 33. That's why he's cheap. He's not getting any better, and at best he's only moderately above average hitter. Doesn't walk/get on base enough, is ok in the field but not great. You could do a lot better in CF IMO.

 

He's got the 6th highest OPS among ML CFs this year, 8th highest in 2009 and 9th best in 2008. He's been pretty well above average for a center fielder for three years now. For most of his career he hasn't walked enough, but his OBP was .380 in 2008 and is .368 so far this year. He's getting better there.

 

He is 33 and isn't likely to improve – and may decline within a year or two – but I'd want a pretty solid offer for him this year. You can do better in center, but it's very hard to at the price he is ($5.5 in 2011 and $6.5 in 2012).

 

You could also do a lot worse, so I don't mind keeping him if the right deal comes along. I'm not saying dump him just to dump him. It's not like him being signed would keep us from acquiring another much better CF if one came around. He'd be a great 4th OF.

 

I'm not advocating keeping him no matter what. I'm just saying don't trade him because he might decline – that's akin to selling low. Instead, float his name around and see if some team will overpay fairly significantly for him. If so, make the deal. If not, his value is likely to still be high next year.

[Clem Fandango]

Selling high on Byrd is one of those "smart" things the Cubs seems so inept at doing.

[jersey cubs fan]

I'm not advocating keeping him no matter what. I'm just saying don't trade him because he might decline – that's akin to selling low. Instead, float his name around and see if some team will overpay fairly significantly for him. If so, make the deal. If not, his value is likely to still be high next year.

 

I'm not sure how that is akin to selling low. His value is probably at the highest it's been in his career, and the odds are it's probably going to be lower later. His contract can fit on almost every team, and the fact that is lasts 2 more years is a good thing in this case. Maybe you can get more in 12 months, but you could easily get less if his performance starts to decline. Sure there is risk in that you might be able to get more later, but I think that is a very low risk. I don't need to get blown away by a deal to justify moving a 33 year old on a bad team that needs to get younger and think about the future.

[soapy]

It really just depends on what your goals are for 2011. If you think you can make the moves to compete next year (I doubt they can) then hold on to Byrd unless you get a great offer. He can provide good to very good production at a very reasonable cost next year. If you think next year is likely a lost cause anyway, I think you actively look to deal him. As has been mentioned, his value is probably about as high as it can get right now.

[dew1679666265]

I'm not sure how that is akin to selling low. His value is probably at the highest it's been in his career, and the odds are it's probably going to be lower later. His contract can fit on almost every team, and the fact that is lasts 2 more years is a good thing in this case. Maybe you can get more in 12 months, but you could easily get less if his performance starts to decline. Sure there is risk in that you might be able to get more later, but I think that is a very low risk. I don't need to get blown away by a deal to justify moving a 33 year old on a bad team that needs to get younger and think about the future.

 

I may have worded that poorly. The only way I trade Byrd at the deadline is if the offer is more than his normal value would be. Basically, I'm either selling high or not at all. His value likely won't be higher a year from now, but he's been very healthy most of his career, doesn't have any nagging injuries now that I know of and has become a fairly patient hitter with a solid to good OBP. While it's conceivable he could, he's not likely to fall off a cliff in the next year and should remain productive.

[jersey cubs fan]

I may have worded that poorly. The only way I trade Byrd at the deadline is if the offer is more than his normal value would be. Basically, I'm either selling high or not at all. His value likely won't be higher a year from now, but he's been very healthy most of his career, doesn't have any nagging injuries now that I know of and has become a fairly patient hitter with a solid to good OBP. While it's conceivable he could, he's not likely to fall off a cliff in the next year and should remain productive.

 

My concern is that it wouldn't take a cliff dive for his value to fall a lot. A $3m CF with a 118 OPS+ is great. He's got a career 101 OPS+, and was 106 last year. He could revert quite easily, still be okay, but have significantly lower trade value. Take 20 points off his OBP and 50 off his SLG and you are at his career average. Even if you aren't worried about him pulling a Ramirez next year (which you really shouldn't be), his trade value could still suffer quite a bit.

[dew1679666265]

I may have worded that poorly. The only way I trade Byrd at the deadline is if the offer is more than his normal value would be. Basically, I'm either selling high or not at all. His value likely won't be higher a year from now, but he's been very healthy most of his career, doesn't have any nagging injuries now that I know of and has become a fairly patient hitter with a solid to good OBP. While it's conceivable he could, he's not likely to fall off a cliff in the next year and should remain productive.

 

My concern is that it wouldn't take a cliff dive for his value to fall a lot. A $3m CF with a 118 OPS+ is great. He's got a career 101 OPS+, and was 106 last year. He could revert quite easily, still be okay, but have significantly lower trade value. Take 20 points off his OBP and 50 off his SLG and you are at his career average. Even if you aren't worried about him pulling a Ramirez next year (which you really shouldn't be), his trade value could still suffer quite a bit.

 

By next trade deadline, however, he'll have almost $4.5 million off his contract and one less season. The acquiring team would only be on the hook for a little over $8 million over a year and a half instead of around $13 million over 2 and a half years. That would help offset any decline he might suffer in the next year.

 

And too, keep in mind I'm not saying keep him no matter what. I'm just saying if we don't get a deal that can be considered "selling high" for him, then we should keep him. If somebody wants to pay for his peak value, let him go.

[jersey cubs fan]

By next trade deadline, however, he'll have almost $4.5 million off his contract and one less season. The acquiring team would only be on the hook for a little over $8 million over a year and a half instead of around $13 million over 2 and a half years. That would help offset any decline he might suffer in the next year.

 

But I don't really see taking off half of his 2010 salary and half of his 2011 salary really matters. I doubt any team would think of his contract as a hindrance, so lessening it doesn't really matter.

[dew1679666265]

By next trade deadline, however, he'll have almost $4.5 million off his contract and one less season. The acquiring team would only be on the hook for a little over $8 million over a year and a half instead of around $13 million over 2 and a half years. That would help offset any decline he might suffer in the next year.

 

But I don't really see taking off half of his 2010 salary and half of his 2011 salary really matters. I doubt any team would think of his contract as a hindrance, so lessening it doesn't really matter.

 

It depends on the team. If the Yankees have interest in him, then no, that $5 million difference and one less year doesn't mean anything. However, if the Twins have an interest in him or the Marlins (next year), then that could be pretty significant.