''Everyone at the Red Sox is thrilled for Josh," said Epstein. ''He deserves the chance to be a general manager. And he made a profound impact on the Red Sox in three years here. He was an instrumental part of everything that we did. And we would not have won the World Series without him.
''It's bittersweet to see him leave. We'll really miss him. But this is something he wanted and richly deserved."
Byrnes, a 1992 graduate of Haverford College, previously worked in the Cleveland (1994-99) and Colorado (2000-02) organizations. He worked predominantly in scouting with Cleveland, where he implemented the Indians' video advance scouting system and ultimately ascended to director of scouting. Just 27 at the time, he was the youngest person ever in that capacity.
In 1999, Byrnes moved on to the Rockies, to become assistant GM to Dan O'Dowd, whom he had also worked under in Cleveland. Byrnes, while in Colorado, hired Daniels as an intern.
''Josh is so intelligent and has great personal integrity," Indians GM Mark Shapiro said earlier this season. ''He is so deserving of becoming a general manager."
Byrnes, this past season, was the member of the Sox organization most responsible for negotiating the July deal that nearly sent outfielder Adam Stern, Triple A catcher Kelly Shoppach, and Triple A pitcher Abe Alvarez to Colorado for outfielder Larry Bigbie, first base prospect Ryan Shealy, and another player. However, Sox president/CEO Larry Lucchino vetoed that deal late in the process.
In Arizona, Byrnes will work under Diamondbacks general partner Jeff Moorad, the former agent who takes a notedly active role in baseball operations decisions. However, Byrnes is believed to have felt comfortable with that dynamic after interviewing for the job. As an agent, Moorad's lengthy client list included Manny Ramirez. It was Moorad who negotiated Ramirez's eight-year, $160 million deal with the Red Sox.
