Oakland signed OF-R Eric Byrnes to a one-year, $2.2M contract yesterday. When teams and players exchanged arbitration figures, the A's offered $2M while Byrnes requested $2.5M. The contract includes $25,000 bonuses for both his 350th and 400th plate appearances, as well as a $25,000 bonus in the event that he is traded. Several teams expressed interest in dealing for Byrnes this off-season, but Oakland did not find an acceptable offer.

Byrnes possesses substantial power and considerable speed skills, however he sports a large platoon split in which he demonstrates solid plate discipline against left-handed pitching and flounders against righties. Given his power and speed upside, the 28-year-old may deserve one more season of full-time play to work on correcting the discrepancy, but if he does not display progress soon, his organization should begin limiting his at-bats against right-handed pitching.

Texas signed RHP Pedro Astacio to a one-year, $800,000 contract yesterday. The deal reportedly includes another $2.2M in potential bonuses. Returning from June of 2003 shoulder surgery, Astacio wasn't able to contribute much to the Red Sox last season. However, following further progress with regards to his recovery, he will compete for a slot in the Rangers pen in spring training. Prior to his injury trouble, Astacio was a dominant groundball pitcher, but we cannot presume that his skills remain intact.