Byrnin'

Another move out of the Jack Zduriencik handbook: The Mariners picked up veteran righthanded hitting outfielder Eric Byrners for practically nothing. Well, 400,000 dollars would be a lot to the average American, but for a major league team it is practically nothing. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks will pay 11 million to Byrnes after releasing him earlier this month.

Like most Zduriencik moves, its risky to a degree. Byrnes has missed a lot of time in the last two seasons due to injury and only played 136 games in that period. In 2007, he managed to play 160 games and stole a career high 50 bases, but with two lost years it will be interesting to see if he can bounce back.

But, as with most Jack Z moves, there is insurance. The M's have a Rightfielder (Ichiro), Centerfielder (Gutierrez), probable Leftfielder (Bradley), and Designated Hitter (Griffey), so Byrnes is not walking into a starting situation. The lack of money being spent on him also means that if Byrnes does not workout, it won't hurt the Mariners financially. Plus, Byrnes is excited to be picked up and willing to fit in wherever the Mariners find a spot for him, so no prima donna here. Definitely, another good move. Hopefully, there is still another move to make, cuz it would be nice to see at least one more veteran in that rotation.