Defending Jason Bay
A bit of a delayed reaction on this, but maybe that’s fitting given how long it took for the Mets to sign the free agent left fielder.
I don’t really understand all the criticism of this move, beyond the general anticipation that, because it’s the Mets, if something bad can happen, it will. But beyond general Murphy’s Law, the signing seems to be a natural fit. To wit:
The Mets desperately needed a power hitter. They hit 95 homers as a team last year (Albert Pujols hit nearly half that many himself), and I’m not so sure Carlos Beltran or David Wright will come back to hit 30 bombs. Couple that with a powerless Daniel Murphy at first base and a question mark in Jeff Francouer, and there’s no guarantee that league low homer mark would have been pushed that much higher.
Jason Bay has a long history of hitting 30+ homeruns, in pitchers and hitters parks alike. He will protect Wright and Beltran in the lineup in a way that neither Murphy nor Carlos Delgado, if he comes back a meek avatar of his former self, possibly can.
The Mets also needed a left fielder. Bay is no Carl Crawford out there, but he’s competent enough. Let’s be honest, it’s not like the Mets have boasted defensively brilliant LF lately, and hopefully Beltran can compensate for some of Bay’s lack of range.
This is only a four year deal. If he’s healthy and productive, it’ll be a five year deal, which will be fine because he was healthy and productive. He’s not blocking any prospects in the outfield, and if he needs to move to first base at some point, top 1B prospect Ike Davis has outfield experience to make the trade.
A lot of people are saying wait until the 2011 free agent class, which is much stronger. Those are the same people who would have killed the Mets all season if they held onto their cash and had another disaster season like 2009. By then, the fan base would be so depressed that there may not be the money to go after those top free agents, and even if there was, why would they want to come to a sad sack team?
Bay said that he and other players around the league view last year as an injury-plagued anomaly for the Mets. I don’t think they were very good to start with last year, but I’ll gladly take that perception if it means players still want to come to Flushing. Another year of disaster, and that perception wouldn’t be nearly as kind.
The Mets will have Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez a year away from the end of their contracts next year, making it easier to trade them. Money will be coming off the books. The team will continue to make cash at Citi Field. They won’t just not participate in the 2011 free agent sweepstakes — if Omar Minaya is still GM, that goes against his nature, and if he’s been fired and replaced by a new leader, that guy will want to make a big splash to help make his mark on the team.
That being said, the Mets do still desperately need pitching. I’d love to see them sign a Ben Sheets and trade for another starter, as I don’t trust anyone beyond Johan Santana. But you’ve got to score runs for your pitching, and the Jason Bay signing will help them do just that. And compared to the contract Matt Holliday just got, Bay will do it at a pretty good price, too.
