When New York Mets left fielder Jason Bay came to Flushing in 2010, both
he and The Mets expected him to provide the bat in the middle of the
lineup that would protect All-Star third baseman David Wright while
helping first baseman Ike Davis in getting adjusted to The Major
Leagues. Instead Bay has become a whipping boy for the media and fans
alike in The Big Apple while he is flirting with being the worst
free-agent signing in Major League Baseball history.
production on the baseball diamond hasn’t been anywhere near the deal.
In six seasons with The Pittsburgh Pirates, Bay averaged 23 homers per
season and he was a two-time All-Star. The Pirates traded Bay to The
Boston Red Sox in 2008. In a season and a half in Beantown, Bay hit 45
home runs. In two-plus seasons with The Mets, Bay has only managed to go
yard 23 times.
Boston. Since joining The Mets, Bay continuously misses fastballs that
are right over the plate that he would crush with regularity before. Bay
just appears to look lost at the plate and lacking confidence. Bay’s
career appears to have hit rock bottom this season. Bay is currently
hitting a paltry .156 with an on-base percentage of .247 and five
homers.
everyday lineup. Bay is now platooning in left field with rookie Jordany
Valdespin. The question of buying out the remaining $19 million on
Bay’s contract was thrown at Mets general manager Sandy Alderson who
immediately dismissed the notion. The Mets and Bay cannot go on with
this saga hanging over their heads. Although The Mets currently have a
losing record, there is some optimism hanging over the club going into
2013. The worst appears to be behind the franchise following the Bernie
Madoff saga that financially crippled this team. Alderson hopes to sign
Wright to a long-term deal as he is the heir apparent to Tom Seaver and
Mike Piazza as “The Franchise”. The Mets also have high hopes for young
pitchers such as Matt Harvey and Zach Wheeler. At this point The Mets
need to release Bay or find a sucker to take him. By keeping Bay on the
team, his confidence will only get worse with every at-bat as the fans
will continue to pile on him with every out that he makes. Bay has
become a huge liability in the lineup as opposing teams will pitch
around the hitters in front of him to allow the embattled slugger to
hit.
Coming into this season I was optimistic that Bay would turn it around
as the fences were brought in at Citi Field. As a team, The Mets have
already hit 97 home runs this year as opposed to 108 for all of 2011,
but Bay hasn’t been apart of the fun. This season, Bay has only had two
multi-hit games while he has yet to register three or more hits in a
game in 2012. Bay has only collected seven extra-base hits this season
as well. This is a far cry from a man that was The National League’s
Rookie of The Year in 2004 while also being one of the most coveted free
agents on the market after the 2009 season. After 2009, The Mets
targeted Bay and St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday. Holliday
opted to stay with The Cards while The Mets drew the short straw. Since
then Holliday helped St. Louis win a World Series Title last season
while Bay just collects a fat paycheck. Bay came to New York City to
make history, but right now he appears to be on the wrong side of the
ledger.
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