NYC Magazine » Jason Bay

Mets Sign Jason Bay to a 4-Year, $66 Million Deal

Igor Derysh — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:02:27 +0000

After months of stalling, the Mets finally filled one of their many lacking positions and signed a guy who they hope will be a huge force in the middle of the lineup as they inked former Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay to a four-year deal.

The contract guarantees Bay $65-66 million over the course of four years and has an option for a fifth year that kicks in if Bay stays healthy and meets the milestones for plate appearances over the course of his deal.

The deal makes the 31-year-old one of the highest paid outfielders in the league, along with his new teammate Carlos Beltran.

Bay, who had a stint in the Mets’ farm system in his early days, has hit over 30 home runs if four of his last five years including a 36 home run, 119 RBI season last year when Bay had to fill Manny Ramirez’s spot in the outfield and lineup for the Sox.

Overall, Bay is a guy who has consistently hit for power and around a .280 batting average his entire career and the Mets hope that they can rely on him to produce runs in 2010 after the team hit less than 100 home runs in 2009 (no one had more than 12 home runs).

While the Mets have finally pulled off a big move, their offseason is far from over. Very high on the Mets to-do list is the acquisition of a starting pitcher and catcher.

The Mets are believed to be the only team interested in signing Bengie Molina (who hit 20 home runs and drove in 80 RBIs in 2009) but Molina has been pushing for the team to offer him a third year, something that isn’t very likely to happen.

With most “good” pitchers off the market, the Mets have turned their attention to back-end starters Doug Davis and Jon Garland who the Mets should be able to get pretty cheap.

Mets Go After Bay, Yankees Lose Matsui

Igor Derysh — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:00:51 +0000

After a busy week that saw a blockbuster trade that sent Cliff Lee to the Mariners and Roy Halladay to the Phillies as well as signings that sent John Lackey and Mike Cameron to Boston, the New York Mets have begun getting into the action and are reportedly close to signing former Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay.

Though Boston had been the favorite to re-sign Bay until he rejected their offer and the team decided to just sign Mike Cameron. Although the Angels and Mariners remain in the race for Bay, the Mets appear to be on the verge of their first big move of the offseason.

Bay is reportedly looking for a $75 million contract and the Mets appear to be close to meeting that figure though it is uncertain if the team will sign him for four or five years.

At the same time, Bay has been holding out for so long that the team could be considering making an offer to top free agent outfield Matt Holliday who has reportedly already received an eight-year offer from the Cardinals.

Bay is coming off a year in which he batter just under .270 but hit 36 home runs and drove in 119 runs. He would be a huge get for the Mets who had no one hitting home runs last season.

The Mets also signed Japanese relief pitcher Ryota Igarashi who is expected to be the set up man for closer Francisco Rodriguez.

Meanwhile, the Yankees saw World Series MVP Hideki Matsui sign a one-year deal with the Angels and the team is uncertain if fellow outfielder Johnny Damon will return next season.

Mets Get Busy After GM Meetings

Igor Derysh — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:58:44 +0000

Jason Bay

After a slow start, the New York Mets are very busy wheeling and dealing and are on the verge of signing outfielder Jason Bay.

According to ESPN, the Mets have made an offer to former Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay worth somewhere between $60 and $65 million, slightly more than Boston offered the star left fielder earlier in the offseason.

The Mets are also reportedly close to signing All-Star catcher Bengie Molina. According to ESPN, Molina has been looking a for a two year deal but the Mets are rumored to have only offered him a one-year contract worth around $6-$7 million.

Earlier this offseason the Mets signed backup catchers Chris Coste and Henry Blanco to small deals.

The Mets are also still looking for a starting pitcher, most likely a top of the rotation guy who can be a great number two behind ace Johan Santana.

Although the Mets were reportedly going to be frugal in their spending this offseason, the market has pushed them to become spenders.

Seeing Randy Wolf receive less than $10 million per year and Rich Harden sign for less than $7 million, the Mets are now confident that the market price for an all-star pitcher like John Lackey is reasonable enough to go after him.

The Mets have already spoken to Lackey and are also considering signing Jason Marquis, Joel Pinero, and Ben Sheets.

The Mets need to sign at least one starting pitcher, a power hitting outfielder, a catcher, and a first baseman. They are also looking to trade second baseman Luis Castillo, possibly to sign Orlando Hudson, the best fielding second baseman in the league.