Byrd attended Louisiana State University where he pitched as part of the Tigers baseball team that won the 1991 College World Series. He was originally drafted in the fourth round of the 1991 amateur draft by the Cleveland Indians. Byrd spent 5 years in the minor leagues before being traded to the Mets and making his major league debut on July 28, 1995. On December 4, 2005, Paul Byrd was signed as a free agent by the Cleveland Indians. Tony Amato, the Indians' equipment manager, describes Byrd as "a lefty in a right-hander's body."