Byrnes could be released...

Last year one of the popular debates was whether the Mets and D-Backs should swap bad contracts in Luis Castillo for Eric Byrnes. Supposedly the idea was discussed with the D-Backs being the team that decided against the idea, funny thing is Castillo had a much better year.

I never been a fan of Byrnes, I just don't see what all the hype is about. Sure he's a high energy guy that's said to be great with young players but his actual talent has never seemed to justify what he has cost.

Byrnes is now 33 y/o in which he hasn't played a full season or hit above .220 since 2007. He's on the last year of a three year deal in which he makes 11M for the season.

Arizona may just eat the contract and move on, if he becomes available for free I could see the Mets making a play for him. The chemistry between Francoeur and him might be interesting but I'm still not willing to take the risk on an aging injury prone player...

Josh Byrnes seemed to suggest that releasing Eric Byrnes is a real possibility given the “roster crunch” in the outfield. Not sure this makes sense. Why release him now rather than seeing how he does in the Dominican in winter ball and in spring training? It's hard to imagine him being a clubhouse distraction or anything like that, even if he comes in without a guaranteed job. source AZ central.com