Debby Wong-USATODAY Sports
New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson has taken a lot of heat during his tenure in New York, but now that the Mets have stayed silent at the MLB trade deadline, it’s a good time to give Alderson the credit he deserves for signing Marlon Byrd.
Byrd was essentially up for grabs this offseason and could have signed with any MLB team. Alderson took a flyer on him, giving him a minor league contract and an invitation to spring training, and Byrd took over from there. After playing winter ball, Byrd was sharp in spring training and rightfully earned his way onto the team. Ultimately, Byrd emerged as the Mets’ everyday right fielder and their second best hitter of the season behind David Wright.
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Being a general manager isn’t only about making blockbuster trades and signing expensive free agents; it’s also about making small moves that pay big dividends, which is exactly what Byrd has been for Alderson and the Mets. Without Byrd, there’s no telling what the Mets outfield would look like this season, and there’s no telling how many fewer wins the Mets would have without the 17 home runs and 60 RBI Byrd has provided this season.
Alderson certainly deserves some credit for bringing in Byrd to the Mets. He also deserves credit for setting a high price on Byrd on the trade market and holding onto him when he didn’t receive a convincing offer, because a productive outfield is one of the things that will allow the Mets to play good baseball in the second half.
Mets’ fans have had plenty to gripe about since Alderson took over the front office, but he’s done a lot of the little things right. Taking a chance on Byrd is a great example of that, and Alderson deserves some recognition for making a move that has done wonders for the Mets this season.
Bryan Zarpentine is a New York Mets writer at www.RantSports.com. Like him on Facebook, follow him on twitter @BZarp and add him on Google+.
