Any Chance The Mets Get Byrd Back? There Should Be

The trade that send Marlon Byrd to the Pirates in a waiver deal this August sent the Mets most productive outfielder to a contender. In the time following that, Byrd spoke highly of the Mets and seemed thankful to be given the chance to get into the playoffs.

“I’ve talked to Sandy, I told him thank you for the opportunity at the beginning of the year and thank you for the opportunity to play for a winner,” Byrd said of his conversation with the Mets general manager. “ I told him, ‘If you want me back, I would love to come back,’.”

“Terry Collins already knows, the team owners already know, the players definitely know,” Byrd said. “I let them all know I loved it there.”

Kristie Ackert, NYDN 

He seems to have truly enjoyed his time in Queens, and definitely has respect for how Alderson treated him as a veteran player. Is he a good fit moving forward though?

Photo by Michael Baron

That question has a lot of moving parts. I think the odds of Byrd donning the blue and orange again fluctuate with each signing the Mets make this offseason, and I wouldn't expect Byrd to be among the first moves they make. If the team manages to add power or talent by improving at a couple of infield positions, than returning Byrd to the outfield makes a lot of sense. He will be more expensive than he was this season, but he will still be relatively inexpensive and probably won't require a long contract. If the Mets make a big push to get a slugging outfielder through a trade or free agency, the odds of seeing Byrd again may diminish a bit. It seems that the franchise is committed to giving Lagares his shot in centerfield, and Terry Collins seemed to truly like Eric Young, Jr., at the top of the order. Byrd is not going to come back to be a fourth outfielder; at the very least, he isn't going to come back to make fourth outfielder money.

Mets fans, myself included, have jumped on Sandy Alderson pretty hard about his "bargain basement" players, but Byrd has definitely been among the better of his signings. With a lot of clamoring for Justin Upton, Sandy bypassed the flashy signing and ended up with the better player. I'd like to see him back with the team whether we sign a big outfielder or not. I see EY as more of a fourth outfielder/bench player than an every day starter, and I think there should be room for Byrd on this club.