Scott Bordow of the East Valley Tribune suspects that the Diamondbacks will consider cutting ties with Eric Byrnes this offseason and would be willing to eat the final year of his three-year, $30MM contract.
Arizona's outfield is set for 2010, and it doesn't include the injury-plagued Byrnes. Conor Jackson will start in left field, Chris Young is expected to start in center and Justin Upton will play right. Gerardo Parra, after a fine rookie campaign in 2009, will operate as the fourth outfielder but should find regular playing time.
D'Backs GM Josh Byrnes will certainly try to work out a trade before simply releasing the 33-year-old outfielder, who has played just 76 games this year due to a fractured hand, but it might be hard to find a team willing to take on his salary. "The Diamondbacks will take a lot of grief if they release Byrnes," concludes Bordow. "But it would be the right thing to do."
