01-04-2010, 06:42 PM
For his contract this is good value. Byrd's main strength is his ability to play an average CF. As long as he sticks in CF, he'll be worth at least the first few years of his contract (barring some epic collapse at the plate). There are many CFs out there that are much worse.
One interesting thing is that his FB rate increased by a lot last season. If he continues that he should hit pretty well in Wrigley, which favors flyball hitters. Hopefully he doesn't revert to a ground ball hitter.
I think the point of the backloaded contract is to try to catch the market on an upswing in the next few years. The team is hoping in a few years a $5.5 or $6.5MM contract won't look so expensive. It's a gamble and it will probably come back to haunt them. But still, I think Byrd will be worth the first 2 years of his contract. The last year will be interesting.
One interesting thing is that his FB rate increased by a lot last season. If he continues that he should hit pretty well in Wrigley, which favors flyball hitters. Hopefully he doesn't revert to a ground ball hitter.
I think the point of the backloaded contract is to try to catch the market on an upswing in the next few years. The team is hoping in a few years a $5.5 or $6.5MM contract won't look so expensive. It's a gamble and it will probably come back to haunt them. But still, I think Byrd will be worth the first 2 years of his contract. The last year will be interesting.