Will the Eric Byrnes rumors please stop?

I've just about had it with all of the Byrnes trade rumors. At least the rumors aren't coming from the Bay Area press.

I understand Byrnsie is another player in an increasingly crowded Oakland outfield but I love to see Byrnes play. He just has that hustle which is delight to see. Yes, he mis-reads balls and only his amazing athletic ability is what's keeping him from being a very bad fielder. Just look at the photo below:


-Photo credit: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, SF Chronicle

How is it possible to make a catch like that unless you misjudge the ball to begin with? All his flaws aside, especially the one that made him punk Jason Varitek instead of touching home plate in a certain Game 3 of the ALDS, he is a player I love to see, crashing into the walls and all.

He is also a right handed hitter, which is rare in our lefty-heavy lineup. He's 29 and should be entering his prime soon. Yes, his defense is questionable but his offense is good with a BA of .267, OPS of .814 and 20 jacks to boot? I think he's growing more comfortable into his role in the bigs and his numbers will only improve this year. As long as he doesn't have one of those month long 0-for slumps he might even bat over .300. He was until that long slump.

Did I mention he's a Bay Area native? It's always good to cheer the locals in the home team, not that that's a valid reason for keeping him but, I'd just like to throw that out.

I don't think Byrnes will be traded, at least not until the trade deadline. If he was to be traded Beane would have pulled the trigger by now. But the rumors will never die until Beane says "No I will not trade Byrnes." He won't because he'd trade anybody given a good enough deal, we've already seen that this offseason.

At least the Byrnes/Bradford to the Mets for Cameron rumor is dead. That would have been a horrible trade for the A's. Two players for one player with no cartilage in their wrist, not a good deal. Who says the offseason is boring? The offseason is never boring if you're an A's fan. It's downright heart attack-inducing at times.