Joel Sherman of the NY Post reports that the Mets are starting to get interest in Marlon Byrd, and that the Pirates are believed to be one of the interested teams.
#Mets suddenly are some hits on Byrd, have made counteroffers, will see if anyone budges. #Pirates believed 1 of interested teams.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 31, 2013
There hasn’t been much talk on Byrd, outside of him being on most wish lists. That’s probably because he previously has been described as “highly unlikely” to move. There was also an asking price of a top 10 or 15 prospect. I don’t know if that means a top 10-15 overall prospect in baseball (like Jameson Taillon) or a top 10-15 prospect in a system. The latter would be more reasonable.
Byrd would only be a two month rental. He’s extremely cheap at $700,000 this year. He’s also having a huge season, with a .282/.325/.512 line and good defense in the outfield. Unlike some of the other guys in rumors (Nate Schierholtz, David DeJesus, Justin Morneau), Byrd has good numbers against left-handers and right-handers. There would be no platoon needed. He’s got an .883 OPS against lefties, and an .812 OPS against right-handers. Even if he struggled against right-handers, the Pirates could turn to someone else and have him hit against lefties, which is an area where the team is currently weak.
Sherman says the Mets have made counter offers, and will see if anyone budges. That doesn’t make it sound like talks are going great, and based on the previous rumors, it still might be hard to get Byrd in a trade. If the price wasn’t high, Byrd would be a good two month rental. It just seems like the price would be high.
