Marlon Byrd rumors: Mets have made contact

The Mets employed Marlon Byrd for most of last season until they traded him to the Pirates in August, and they may be interested in bringing him back. Newsday's Marc Carig tweets that the Mets have reached out to Byrd.

The Mets will almost certainly be on the lookout for outfielders -- in MLBTR's predictions contest, I had them getting Curtis Granderson, and they appear to be interested in Granderson as well. Byrd will likely have no shortage of suitors -- in addition to the Mets and Pirates, the Astros, Phillies, Mariners and any number of other teams could pursue him. It certainly won't be impossible for the Pirates to re-sign him, but I'm not sure how likely it is, given the Pirates' financial situation and given how well Byrd would fit on any number of other rosters. Anyway, if the Pirates have to enter the season with Jose Tabata and Andrew Lambo in right field, that certainly wouldn't be the end of the world, particularly with Gregory Polanco on the way.