Marlon Byrd or Mike Cameron for CF?

Ken Rosenthal adds a bit more about the Cubs: Byrd likely to be targeted by Cubs — 6:10 p.m. Once the Cubs trade Milton Bradley, their plan is to find a center fielder and move Kosuke Fukudome back to right field. Free agent Marlon Byrd is certain to draw their interest. Rudy Jaramillo, the Cubs’ new hitting coach, is a huge fan of Byrd’s from their three seasons together with the Rangers, according to major-league sources. Byrd, 32, is seeking a multi-year contract after batting .283 for the Rangers last season with a career-high 20 homers and 89 RBIs. Mike Cameron, 36, is another center fielder who could intrigue the Cubs. Cameron batted .250 with 24 homer and 70 RBIs for the Brewers last season, and his .795 OPS was nearly as high as Byrd’s .808. Both are right-handed hitters. Around here we’d all prefer Mike Cameron, but Byrd isn’t too bad either. His defense has been up and down, which isn’t unexpected for an outfielder. His career average UZR in CF is 0. He’s projected by Bill James to be about a league average hitter. Byrd is projected to hit for a .335 wOBA next year. (Marlon Byrd Fangraphs page) Mike Cameron is the better defender (career UZR of 5 in CF). He’s projected to hit for a .330 wOBA in 2010. So Cameron is the better fielder, but Byrd is probably a slightly better hitter. (Mike Cameron Fangraphs page) The one thing they do have in common is that they’re going to be hated by Cubs fans. Byrd strikes out less so he may be hated less. Then again, Cameron is the better fielder so he’ll look like he’s trying harder.