Kuzul

If you love someone, set him or her free. At least, that’s how the New York Mets might spin Tuesday’s Marlon Byrd T-shirt giveaway in light of their trade of the outfielder to the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

Rumors of Byrd being dealt spread throughout the Internet on Monday and spawned this tweet from Mets correspondent Andrew Harts: 

Yes, that would be awkward, and yes, the Mets traded the 35-year-old on Tuesday. 

ESPN reports the Mets sent Byrd as well as catcher John Buck to the Pirates, who are currently in a close race with the Cardinals for control of the NL Central, for infield prospect Dilson Herrera and a player to be named later.

The Pirates get depth and the Mets get some rather befuddled fans walking through their turnstiles. Really, you have to love the wings on the Byrd T-shirt. Sure, it’s an allusion to his name, but it’s all the more fitting as the downtrodden team lets their precious Byrd fly free, off to a playoff contender. 

Some of you Blue Jays fans might recall the abrupt end to Frank Thomas’ tenure in Toronto, just a month before the team was going to hold a bobblehead night for him, via TSN. 

This particular trade is a double whammy of sorts, because it comes just a day after Buck was caught on television consoling New York’s injured star, which must have brought a little warmth to the hearts of Mets fans. 

On Monday, the Mets announced star pitcher Matt Harvey was diagnosed with a partial tear in his pitching arm ulnar collateral ligament. As ESPN notes, the injury will likely end his season and could possibly keep him out the entirety of 2014. 

Which led to the moment shown below: 

It was a truly beautiful and poignant moment between friends dealing with a frustrating season. Yeah, both are gone now—one to the DL and the other to Pittsburgh. 

Hey, but the Mets have some nifty T-shirts to hand out Tuesday. I really hope they go through with the giveaway, because Mets fans need a laugh right now. 

Hit me up on Twitter: 

Follow @gabezal

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Mets are still in rebuilding mode.

This long, torturous rebuilding process, though, seems to be nearing its end. Big-name prospects like Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler are already contributing to the major league team, and many more prospects are on the way in the next couple years. 

Assuming a majority of these high-ceiling prospects become quality major leaguers, the Mets could be contenders within the next couple years. 

Therefore, if the Mets make a trade this season, the return piece should be a player or players who will help the team in the near future.

My trade: Marlon Byrd for Jesse Winker (OF) (Cincinnati Reds)

Marlon Byrd has been one of the biggest surprises in all of baseball.

Byrd signed a minor-league contract before this season, and since then has put up numbers better than fellow right fielder Justin Upton, who is in the middle of a 6-year, $51.5 million contract.

Byrd has an excellent .277/.322/.519 line with 15 doubles, two triples, 17 home runs, 56 RBI and 42 runs.

At this pace, Byrd would finish 2013 with 29 home runs and 97 RBI.

The Mets have struck gold with Byrd this season. He is playing spectacularly in July, too, hitting .338/.360/.620 with an RBI in five straight games. 

However, the Mets have no reason to keep Byrd.

Byrd is a 35-year-old who does not fit in the Mets’ future plans, and also has a soaring trade stock. The Mets also have little to no chance to contend this season. If the Mets can trade a red-hot Byrd for a quality package, the team must pull the trigger. The team is far more likely to contend in 2015 than in 2013, and Byrd is not a long-term solution.

Byrd’s current form only makes him more enticing to general managers around the league, and perhaps Mets GM Sandy Alderson could convince a contending team to overpay for Byrd.

As for this trade, Jesse Winker is a very solid outfield prospect, which is a deep position for the Reds and a weak position for the Mets. 

Winker is already becoming a pure all-around hitter at just 19 years old in Class-A.

He currently boasts a well-rounded .276/.371/.470 line with 15 doubles, five triples, 13 home runs, 62 RBI and 56 runs in 88 games. Winker dominated the Pioneer League (Rookie ball) last year with a .338/.443/.500 line in 62 games, so this year’s production is clearly no fluke.

Also, Winker has a solid arm and plays above-average defense, meaning he won’t rely solely on his bat to reach the majors.

Winker is more advanced than most 19-year-old prospects. He is already getting experience in a full-season league, along with plenty of international experience.

Winker played on the gold medal-winning 2012 18-U USA National team, as well as the 2011 Junior Pan-Am Games. Interestingly, due to a shortage of pitchers, Winker was forced to pitch the Pan-Am Games and eventually was named the top pitcher at the tournament. 

The Mets have developed a farm system in recent years that is loaded with incredible pitching prospects and few notable hitting prospects.

Barring injury, Winker is a safe bet to become a good major league outfielder by around 2015, which (coincidentally) is when the Mets can seriously plan on contending again. Winker has an advanced hitting approach, especially for his age, which fits Alderson’s patient hitting style perfectly.

Furthermore, trading Byrd opens up a spot for other promising young outfielders to gain valuable playing time, such as Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Juan Lagares or even the red-hot Cesar Puello. 

From the Reds’ perspective, they can afford to lose Winker.

While Winker is clearly an above-average player and projectable prospect, the Reds’ major league team and farm system are stacked with high-ceiling outfielders. Players like Ryan LaMarre, Kyle Waldrop and Billy Hamilton project to be solid major league outfielders one day, and the Reds already have quality outfielders like Shin-Soo Choo and Jay Bruce.

However, the Reds have been employing a platoon of players in left field, and none of them have stuck.

Currently, Reds’ left fielders have hit a combined .245 with nine home runs in 98 games this season.

The original starting left fielder, Ryan Ludwick, has not played since he separated his shoulder on Opening Day.

While Ludwick is scheduled to finally begin an extended rehab assignment this week, the odds are highly stacked against the 35-year-old repeating his surprising 2012 season, where he hit .275 with 26 home runs.

Thus, it is essential that the Reds acquire a cheap player like Byrd who can hit for power.

While either Byrd or Bruce must end up moving to left field, this trade is still worth it and both players need to be in the lineup. Byrd’s surprising right-handed power outbreak this season, as well as Brandon Phillips’ bat, will perfectly complement the left-handed power of Bruce and Joey Votto, who is one of the best players in baseball.

In the end, the trade is a win for both sides. 

The Mets are a team planning for 2014-15, and Byrd does not fit that plan. Acquiring Winker gives the Mets a valuable prospect in a position of need in their farm system. While the current team will undoubtedly suffer without Byrd’s lineup presence, the organization is more likely to contend in 2015 than 2013 and must act accordingly.

On the other hand, the Reds are currently just 5.5 games back in the tough NL Central, and they have a very legitimate chance of contending. The team is incredibly talented and should add Johnny Cueto back into the rotation in the coming weeks, too. Their lineup needs a power-hitting corner outfielder that doesn’t break the bank, and Byrd fits both needs. 

This trade is by no means a blockbuster trade.

The Mets are not willing to trade any of their blockbuster-worthy assets, nor do they have a desire to trade a package of their own prospects in a blockbuster deal.

But this trade is a smart one for both sides, and one that adds great value to both organizations. Byrd will significantly help the Reds win now, and Winker will help the Mets win in the future.

While Mets fans may be saddened to see Byrd go, the trade must be done.

Stats and/or info via ESPN.com, baseball-reference.com, mlb.com, milb.com

Stats updated as of July 22, 2013

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With the July 31 trade deadline looming, less than two weeks remain for teams looking to make a non-waiver deal.

The deadline represents an integral period of time for both contending and rebuilding organizations. Contenders, like the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers, must decide if this year is theirs and sacrifice a bit of the future to improve the present.

On the flip side, a team like the New York Mets would have to juggle an already-livid fanbase if they entertained trading homegrown closer Bobby Parnell, for instance. While a big return for Parnell would help fill gaping voids for 2014 and beyond, it’s never a popular decision to throw in the towel—especially in New York.

Regardless of a team’s direction, the strategy must be a resolute one: Failure simply isn’t an option.

Below are five MLB teams that can’t afford to fail at the trade deadline this year.

All statistics sourced (through July 18, 2013) from Baseball-Reference.com.

Begin Slideshow

In a move that was predicted by many, the Chicago Cubs have let go of their hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo. While they remain arguably the worst offense and worst team in baseball, moves like these will tend to happen. Stepping into the interim role will be 35-year-old James Rowson, the Cubs minor league hitting coordinator, according to Doug Padilla of ESPN.com.

The tenure of Jaramillo shed a bit of light onto the whole concept of a “high profile” hitting coach. When it comes down to it, there was absolutely zero evidence of any impact over his time on the north side. It’s not a personal problem with Rudy; it’s more so a statement about the place of hitting coaches in the Major Leagues. These “gurus” offer advice and corrections to swinging mechanics, but to the majority of those in the pros, there is little effect to be had. 

Showing hard evidence of the positives or negatives of a hitting coach is even more difficult to prove. Fans of the sport know that when hard times come to a franchise, the secondary coaching staff is always the first to go. It’s a symbolic gesture more than anything, and that’s something more people need to acknowledge.

Jaramillo’s success in Texas with a stacked offense cannot be given to him; The same can be said of the complete failure in Chicago. There was a ridiculously high level of talent in Texas, with the polar opposite being true for the Cubs. The players played as most expected, and whether or not Rudy offered advice and pointers in all likelihood didn’t change the game in any tangible way.

In 2008, the Cubs had the best offense in the Majors, receiving career years from numerous players on the roster. Gerald Perry headed the offensive bench staff, and apparently it was all going well. They were near the top of the league in power and patience, while everyone seemed to hit with runners on base. By 2009, Perry was fired due to lack of offensive production. Funny how fast the pendulum swings, but does it simply mean the job itself relies entirely on things out of the given coach’s hands?

Their role can be blown out of proportion, and while it’s not a meaningless one, it’s one that cannot be assigned noticeable value to creating a winning atmosphere.

Many attributed the success of Marlon Byrd in Texas to Jaramillo, but things like that can be much more symbolic than reality would dictate. Giving any real weight to such things is impossible, and paying for these types of tales can be detrimental to a team.

If there is a lesson to be learned, it is that giving a hitting coach more money than any other in the game is a poor decision. It’s a problem that the new staff in charge of this team saw fit to change this quickly. 

How long the newly appointed leaders will be fixing the mistakes of the prior ones will be the tale of how long this rebuilding process takes. Overall, this is yet another step in the right direction.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

On the heels of an utterly humiliating loss at home to the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox find themselves in the middle of a trade with the Chicago Cubs.

So, while Theo Epstein may not have been involved in the 100 year anniversary of Fenway Park, his name is linked to the team on this historic weekend.

The Boston Red Sox have sent Michael Bowden and a player to be named later to the Chicago Cubs for center fielder Marlon Byrd and cash (via ESPN).

Numerous questions come to mind; however, the two most pressing are:

“Is this a desperation move?”

“Will Jacoby Ellsbury be out longer than expected?”

Addressing the first one, it seems hard to say no considering how absolutely terribly the team has played this weekend.

The loss at home on Friday followed by an insanely unpredictable finish to Saturday’s game leads one to think that general manager Ben Cherington and Co. are desperate and trying to piece things together.

Is Marlon Byrd going to be the answer to their problems?  Obviously not, considering his 0.70 batting average in 13 games so far this season.

The team hopes to see him return to his career .278 form of course, but adding Byrd while sacrificing any pitching, albeit Michael Bowden, seems counterproductive at this point, does it not?

In addition, one has to ask, how injured is Ellsbury?

If the front office feels compelled to add another outfielder, Ellsbury‘s injury has to be more significant than what the team has let on.

Obviously this is only another chink in the armor.

The team is hurting across the board. The Yankees are having their way with us, the manager is a laughing stock, half the team is injured and there is no light in sight.

But, hey, at least we can all still sing along to “Sweet Caroline” in the middle of the eighth.

Good times never seemed so good, so good, so good.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

It seems as though Theo Epstein has finally found a suitor for struggling veteran outfielder, Marlon Byrd. Reported by ESPN Chicago, Byrd is apparently shipping up to Boston. 

The trade is reported as “imminent” and may be officially announced at any time now. This deal would mark the first major in-season trade for Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer’s administration in Chicago as well as Ben Cherington’s first in Boston.

Byrd, a 35-year-old center fielder, has struggled this season, much as he did at the end of his 2011 campaign, after a hit-by-pitch sidelined him with a face injury midseason.

He only has three hits in 43 at bats thus far, all of them singles. Ben Cherington will hope a new environment will help Byrd turn around.

With Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford on the disabled list, as well as Jason Repko injuring himself on Friday, Boston is in dire need of outfield depth. As of now, their outfield is primarily composed of back ups and Triple-A caliber talent. The acquisition of Byrd provides Boston with at least more experience in the outfield.

Throughout his 10-year career, Byrd is a .278 hitter with some power. An All-Star in 2010 with the Cubs, Byrd actually had his best season in 2009 when he hit 20 home runs and had 89 RBI with the Texas Rangers. In 2011, he battled with injuries, but when he was on the field, he hit fairly well.

While exploring other options, most notably speedster Scott Podsednik, Boston really had little to no options on the open market or in the farm system. This is likely the worst possible time to trade for Byrd, who is currently hitting .071.

The deal seems more and more likely by the hour, as Ken Rosenthal deems the trade “probable.” Also, according to the Boston Herald, manager Bobby Valentine responded to the rumors.

“The talks have been good talks, from what I gather,” Valentine said. “Ben [Cherington] will try to get as good a player as he can get.”

The Red Sox skipper’s words ring true here. The best possible option at the moment for the Boston Red Sox is Marlon Byrd, whether anyone likes it or not. Options are scarce and there is hope that he does pick things up with a change of scenery. He may not be the ideal replacement out in center field, but bringing him in is a must at this point.

While it is unknown what Chicago will get in return, it will likely be a left handed arm in the bullpen from Boston’s major league squad or Triple-A level. Needless to say, they will not receive a whole lot for Byrd.

Update: 2:30P.M. According to Ken Rosenthal’s latest Tweet, it seems likely that the Chicago Cubs will pay a chunk of Byrd’s contract. There are currently “timing issues” between both sides, pushing the deal to take longer. Also, Michael Bowden is the assumed pitcher to be sent to the Cubs as part of the deal.

Update: 6:03 p.m. Previously Tweeted by Bruce Levine of ESPN, Marlon Byrd has confirmed that he has been traded to Boston. The deal is now official and details will be released following the Red Sox game against the Yankees.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With a few teams looking for outfield help before opening day, Chicago Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer is reportedly calling around to see if any of his peers might be interested in Marlon Byrd.

One major league source told the Chicago Sun-Times’ Gordon Wittenmyer that the Cubs offered Byrd to the Washington Nationals in exchange for some pitching. Yet, a different source said that the team is more interested in listening to offers than shopping him around.

Dealing Byrd would open up a spot for top prospect Brett Jackson, whom Cubs manager Dale Sveum thinks is ready for the majors but wouldn’t get everyday playing time as the roster currently stands.

Byrd to the Nationals would make sense, as they’ve been looking for a center fielder for at least the past couple of years. But their more immediate need could be in left field. Michael Morse has been nursing a strained lat on his right side, and appears likely to open the season on the disabled list.

The Nats have been looking at utility man Steve Lombardozzi in left, but according to the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore, manager Davey Johnson seems nervous about playing Lombardozzi at a position he’s not very familiar with.

Another team that may be talking about Byrd is the Atlanta Braves, who also have an opening in left field with Martin Prado moving to third base to replace the injured Chipper Jones. The Braves could also be looking at him for center field depth. David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that the team wants a backup center fielder and has considered playing Jason Heyward there, if necessary.

The Miami Marlins might be another team to check in on Byrd. ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick tweeted that the Marlins called the Baltimore Orioles about Nolan Reimold, but were told he’s not available. Miami is looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder, and Byrd might fit in nicely between Logan Morrison and Giancarlo Stanton.

Also in need of a center fielder is the New York Mets. As the New York Times’ Andrew Beh writes, the Mets face beginning the season with Andres Torres on the DL due to a strained calf. Scott Hairston is on the roster as the backup in center field, but he’s been out with an oblique strain.

However, the Mets aren’t looking to add payroll, and Byrd’s $6.5 million salary for 2012 would be problematic.

Last season, Byrd hit 276/.324/.395 with nine home runs and 35 RBI. He missed six weeks after getting hit in the face by a pitch from the Boston Red Sox‘s Alfredo Aceves.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Heading in to the 2012 campaign, Chicago Cub fans should be excited about the talent they have at the minor league level.  They have a couple of top prospects who are already making a major impact in spring training, and Cub fans should not forget these names once the regular season hits.  

On Opening Day, the Chicago Cubs have Marlon Byrd penciled in as their starting center fielder, and Bryan LaHair is your starting first baseman.  Both of these players deserve to be starters heading into the season; however, if they should struggle out of the gate, the Cubs have two prospects ready to take their positions.  

Begin Slideshow

Yesterday afternoon, Lou Piniella managed his final game with the Chicago Cubs. 

And in typical Cubs fashion, they lost, bad, 16-5.

Its hard to believe that, save for a few players, this is the same Cubs team that posted the best record in the National League in 2008. Now the Cubs are in 5th place, with only the bargain basement Pirates keeping them from last in the NL Central (but only by 9.5 games mind you).

In the past month, we’ve seen half of our infield and a starting pitcher traded away, as well as  Piniella’s recent retirement.

The Cubs aren’t in a position to win for at least two years, but at least there’s hope, right? 

Well, there’s some, but there are things that must be done for them to win the World Series before Wrigley’s Centennial in 2014.

Begin Slideshow

With Lou Pinella announcing he will retire at the end of the Chicago Cubs season, all I hear is conjecture regarding who people think will be the Cubs’ next manager.

There are multiple candidates, but for now, it’s all speculation, and that’s all it’s going to be until it actually happens.

Begin Slideshow