Fresh off of their second straight late season collapse and mourning the passing of Shea Stadium, Mets’ fans are getting desperate. They are in search of the “big name” leader to right the ship and to help open Citi Field (how appropriate that the new stadium sponsor is from an industry known for it’s collapses). The name that Mets’ fans are focusing on? Eric Byrnes of the Diamondbacks.

Mets blog and Hot Foot Blog, both home to rabid Mets fans, are salivating over the fact that Byrnes may be available.

A word to the wise, be careful what you wish for. While Byrnes brings a certain amount of energy and entertainment to the locker room, he also brings a $10 million a year contract, injuries and a less than conventional method in the field. He also has batted below .250 four times in his eight year career.

Don’t get me wrong, Byrnes was a catalyst to an otherwise anemic offense in 2007 and without him the Diamondbacks struggled to have an identity this season but Mets fans are kidding themselves if they think he will be the “hard-nosed general” the Mets need. Just watch the Eric Byrnes show for more than 5 minutes and you realize he’s more class clown than anything.

Then again, if you guys want him he’s all yours. Extending his contract was a reactionary move by the Diamondbacks front office based on appeasing fans rather than solid baseball thinking. At $10 million a season he is extremely overpriced, over hyped and overrated. The Diamondbacks could better spend that $10 million on their bullpen and in search of a true power bat. Plus, with the emergence of Conor Jackson in left field, Byrnes is more than expendable and the Diamondbacks might even be willing to give him to you on the cheap.

We don’t even need Luis Castillo in return. Just maybe the number for Willie Randolph, we may be in the market for a new manager soon.

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