“The Minnesota Twins should sign Eric Byrnes.”

That was the general thesis statement of the article I wrote yesterday.

In reaction to that article, the fine folks at “Baseball Musings” posed a good question.

“Why Byrnes if you could sign Johnny Damon for well below his value?”

It is a solid question and being that it was in response to my original article; I might as well be the one to answer it, so here it goes:

Eric Byrnes is a better free agent signing than Johnny Damon for four simple reasons.

Read the rest of the article at BleacherReport.com.

Eric Byrnes is officially a free agent and might be exactly what the Twins are looking for this offseason.

Byrnes, 33, was designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks last Friday when the club signed first baseman Adam LaRoche and was officially released this afternoon.

Byrnes was entering the final season of an ill-fated three-year, $30 million contract he signed on the heels of a career-year in 2007. That season he put up a solid batting line of .286/.353/.450 with 21 home runs, 83 RBI, 103 runs scored, and 50 stolen bases.

In the two seasons since inking the deal, Byrnes has been besieged by injuries and overall ineffectiveness.

In 2008 and 2009 combined, he only appeared in 136 games while putting up a paltry .218/.271/.382 line at the plate. His power and speed have both dropped off precipitously in the process.

As such, it wasn’t a shock that the Diamondbacks couldn’t find a trade partner for Byrnes and the $11 million he’s owed in 2010.

Arizona will be on the hook for the vast-majority of his salary this season while Byrnes’ new team will only be responsible for paying him the league minimum.

This is where the Minnesota Twins come into the picture.

Read the rest of the article at BleacherReport.com.

Atlanta is at it again.

Just a day after acquiring Billy Wagner to serve as the club’s new closer, the Braves have reportedly signed free agent reliever Takashi Saito to a one-year deal.

According to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports, Saito's base salary will be $3.2 million, according to a major-league source. He can earn $2.3 million in appearance-based incentives.

The move further re-enforces the backend of a bullpen that could have been destroyed by the free agent exodus of Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez who have shared the bulk of the closing and setup duties in recent years.

Soriano and Gonzalez were both offered arbitration, and sources said the Braves would have qualms with one or both accepting the offer and returning next season.

It is believed, however, that both are looking for multi-year deals and the opportunity to close, thus likely closing the door on their respective tenures with Atlanta.

Read the rest of the article at BleacherReport.com.