The Chicago Cubs are set to sign Marlon Byrd to a three-year, $15 million contract today. He’ll start in center field next year, and then he’ll make us miserable for two additional years. I kid. I hope.
We’ll have an evaluation of the deal tomorrow after the final details come out. It will be a wonderful way to ring in the new year, I can assure you of that. If you’re itching for a preview on my thoughts, here’s what I had to say about the prospect of signing Byrd a few weeks ago.
Also, the over/under on other publications that reference “the Byrd is the word” when reporting this signing: 4.
UPDATE: According to this article, the deal is $3 million for 2010, $5.5 million for 2011, and $6.5 million for 2012. That’s about as backloaded as a deal gets.