Per Bruce Levine at ESPNChicago.com. Follow me after the jump for my reaction.
The money doesn't seem too bad -- $5 million a year. But seriously, has Jim Hendry learned nothing from the multiyear debacles of the past? Three years??? By the time this deal ends, Byrd will be 35. Will he even be able to play center field by then?
I can't understand why this couldn't have been done with a two-year deal at that kind of money. No one else seemed to be bidding for Byrd.
He wasn't my first, second or third choice. All we can do is hope that the next three years will be a repeat of Byrd's 2008 and 2009 seasons. Otherwise this is a waste of money. And further, let's hope this works out better than Hendry's last New Year's Eve signing.