Sad divorce for Jason Bay and Mets

Talk about a marriage that was doomed from the start.

The New York Mets have announced that they are parting ways with outfielder Jason Bay after three years of marriage. It’s not a surprising announcement given that Bay never turned into the player the Mets were paying him to be. And of late the Mets have been perfectly willing to eat contracts just to get a declining or problematic player off their roster.

It was never clear that Bay really wanted to play in Queens. He waited three weeks before accepting the Mets’ contract offer back in 2009. At his introductory press conference, Bay insisted that he really did want to play for the Mets. But I always had the impression that Bay only signed with the Mets because he could not get a better offer from the Boston Red Sox, even though he was a New York Yankees killer in his time with the Saux. I was perfectly happy to see him land in Queens, preferring the Yankees only face him six times a year instead of 19.

It’s really sad that the marriage between the Mets and Jason Bay didn’t work out. But the upside of a divorce is that both parties can make a fresh start. Hopefully, Bay will find his old self in a different uniform and the Mets can open up his spot to someone who can make a difference in that lineup.

 

Thanks to slgckgc via Wikipedia for the Jason Bay photo.  

Yankees-Red Sox will be as intense as ever

The fact that the New York Yankees title defense begins tonight against the Boston Red Sox just makes everything sweeter. The only thing that would have been better is if the Yanks opened up at home against their archrivals, hoisting the championship banner they fought long and hard for.

No matter. The rivalry will still be intense. And I'm looking forward to seeing how the new players on both sides, namely Curtis Granderson, respond to the pressure. I'm also incredibly grateful to the cross-town Mets for taking Yankee killer Jason Bay off Boston's hands.

For the Yankees, the main concern is health and they got a fresh dose of reality this week with injuries to numerous players, including Jorge Posada and Mark Teixeira. While it seems all the players will be ready for tonight, it's still going to be a major concern throughout the season for a team that is so heavily dependent on its starters and has a very weak bench (Marcus Thames would have probably been cut by now in any other year or on another team).

For the Red Sox, the worry is whether the revamped team focused on pitching and defense will be enough to overcome the Yankees. No doubt Boston has a great rotation and you always want strong defenders behind those pitchers. But they let Bay go and didn't really replace his bat with Mike Cameron or anyone else for that matter. And it's hard to imagine Big Papi David Ortiz being able to regain his previous, crushing form.

But things heat up whenever these two teams get together and 2010 will be no exception. The title defense starts now!

Thanks to Googie man via en.Wikipedia for the photo.

Things go from bad to worse for Mets, Reyes

As if things couldn't get worse for the New York Mets, now comes word that shortstop Jose Reyes will be out anywhere from two to eight weeks because of an overactive thyroid. A day after Reyes publicly proclaimed he didn't have a thyroid problem, mere hours after the Mets released a statement saying he did, comes news that he has a serious condition that's worse than doctors initially thought. His condition will prevent him engaging in strenuous physical activity, including baseball-related exercise, a real problem for a guy trying to come back from hamstring injuries.

This is the second time in several months that the Mets have been at odds with one of their players over a medical condition, following Carlos Beltran's decision to have knee surgery before the team formally gave the OK. Reyes apparently was frustrated with Omar Minaya & Co. for jumping the gun on his injury report to the media. You would think that the Mets learned from the Beltran situation and would have made sure they and their player and his people were all on the same page, but apparently some lessons go unlearned.

Aside from Reyes getting healthy again, the big concern for the Mets is figuring out who will play short in the meantime and anchor their lineup. In a widely criticized move, the Mets were planning to have Reyes hit third until Beltran returns. With both Reyes and Beltran out, the Mets lineup is completely exposed, with Jason Bay the only solid run producer. Boy, I wonder how much Bay is rethinking and perhaps regretting his decision to sign with the Mets. He should have known that for a team as dysfunctional as the Mets, things always go from bad to worse.

Thanks to alpineinc via Wikipedia for the photo.

Team bonding off to a good start

Both New York baseball teams are off to a good start in the annual bonding ritual that occurs in spring training.

For the New York Mets, the fierce battle for the hockey championship in the Winter Olympics was the trigger. Now that Jason Bay, a Canadian and lifelong hockey fan is on the team, there is a friendly rivalry going on. With Canada's big victory in the gold medal game last night, Bay will be a happy camper today. Alex Cora, who reportedly got stuck with the dinner check thanks to the US team's tying goal with 24 seconds left in regulation, is not. But sounds like a fun night out for the Metsies.

Tomorrow it's the New York Yankees turn. Joe Girardi will try to repeat the magic of last year's pool tournament with another team bonding event. But Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira have already gotten a head start, sharing a meal last week with the conversation focused on repeating last year's World Series title. But the real bonding came during a pre-spring training workout at ARod's Miami home in January. Tex was very impressed with the generous side of ARod, who invited young kids/minor leaguers to his home for a meal and baseball tips. That kind of admiration can only help the bonding.

Thanks to chris.ptacek via Wikipedai for the photo.

Phillips: Mets moves baffling

New York Mets fans are not the only ones puzzled by the team's decision making over the last few months. Steve Phillips, taking a break from talking about his sex addiction, questioned several offseason moves and spring training decisions made by team officials.

In terms of the offseason, the signing of Jason Bay was a baseball move the Mets needed to make, but Bay is not great defensively and can't be the centerpiece of the offense that the team expects because "he's not an aircraft carrier." The Mets should have signed other players to help their team, including Bengie Molina.

Phillips found their early spring training choices equally baffling, namely the decision to bat Jose Reyes third in a RBI position rather than a run-scoring spot. "I just don't understand it," Phillips said.

The only explanation Phillips could come up with was that Omar Minaya's hands were tied, with the team running out of money after signing Bay. He was sympathetic, noting that he encountered similar problems as the Mets general manager that were made worse by playing in the same city as the New York Yankees. While the expectations are the same for both teams, the Mets can't match their crosstown rivals in tradition and resources. "I think it's the toughest executive position in sports," Phillips said of the Mets GM job.

But as much sympathy as he has for Minaya and the Mets, their moves cast serious doubt on the team's ability to win 90 games this year, which they may need to do to compete with the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves. "I just don't see it happening," he said.

Thanks to Stadium08 via en.Wikipedia for the photo.

Worst moves of baseball offseason

This was an easier list to compile because several teams made questionable decisions, starting with the New York Yankees cross-town rivals:

1) Mets strange offseason moves: Under tremendous pressure to redeem themselves after a lost 2009 season, the Mets made a good move signing Jason Bay to the deal they wanted rather than on his terms. But everything fell apart after that. Defying conventional wisdom, catcher Bengie Molina dissed the Mets to resign with the San Francisco Giants. But the most embarrassing, head-scratching move was the Carlos Beltran surgery debacle. Getting into a nasty, public dispute with one of your best players is unwise and a true reflection of the behind-the-scenes dysfunctionality that prevented the Mets from really fixing their ballclub.

2) The Yankees letting both Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui walk: Yes, Brian Cashman fulfilled his stated desire to get younger, but he did so by letting two clutch performers who perfectly fit their roles with the team walk away. He didn't even put up a fight to keep Matsui, signing another injury-plagued player, Nick Johnson, to replace him without saving much money. Damon is going to end up signing with another team for about the same dollars he could have gotten from the Yanks so that's partly on him and Scott Boras, but the team could have been a little more flexible in those negotiations. I just hope Johnson and Curtis Granderson can fill those big shoes.

3) Phillies trading Cliff Lee: When I heard the Phils got Roy Halladay, I thought they would be unbeatable, until I heard they gave up Lee as part of the multi-team trade to get him. They cited a need to replenish their minor league system, but I think they blew a major chance to dominate the National League for the next five years. Lee was incredible during the 2009 playoffs and will make a nice free-agent target for the Yankees, unless Seattle locks him up first.

Thanks to Wknight94 via Wikipedia for the photo.

Ouch! Bengie Molina disses Mets

It had been a foregone conclusion that Bengie Molina would sign with the New York Mets after coming off a demand for a multi-year contract. So imagine the surprise generated all around baseball by a report that Molina chose to re-sign with the San Francisco Giants for one year at $4.5 million.

Molina was supposed to be an integral part of the Mets' makeover, hitting in the middle of the line-up with new acquisition Jason Bay and bringing stability to the backstop position. Omar Minaya was constantly fielding questions about Molina, including at the press conference to introduce Bay. Last week, the two sides were reportedly closing in on a deal. So what happened? When did it all fall apart? I'll be watching closely over the next few days to see the spin on this one.

Could the Mets recent public relations disaster with Carlos Beltran have contributed to Molina's decision? Unclear, but it probably didn't help. A free agent wants to know that the team he is choosing to play for is going to treat him well. With the Mets publicly calling out their outfielder for a supposedly unsanctioned surgical procedure, Molina could not have been too confident that things would work out for him in New York.

Thanks to Lizzy Ramone via Wikipedia for the photo.

Bay wanted the Mets, really

Jason Bay sounded very sincere today during his introductory press conference when he said he wanted to play for the New York Mets. Unlike the Boston Red Sox, the left fielder knew the Mets wanted him very badly and went after him hard.


Besides a lot of money, a free agent really wants to be wanted by the team and city he's going to spend the next four or five years playing for. He was very complimentary of the Mets, praising Johan Santana as probably the best pitcher in baseball and citing their numerous injuries for last year's collapse. Maybe I'm just being naive, but I believed Bay when he said that he wanted to play for the Mets. "I wouldn't have signed the contract if I wasn't happy or didn't want to be here," Bay said.



I still don't get the reluctance of the Red Sox to aggressively pursue Bay. But I have to admit that I was rooting for the Mets to get him instead of Boston. I'd much prefer that the New York Yankees have to face him only six games each year than 19 games. "I think the Mets wanted me more, this is where I wanted to be and I'm very happy about that," Bay said.



Signing Bay was the right move for the Metsies. They got themselves a good player who performs brilliantly under pressure and a great character guy. And if he could handle replacing Manny Ramirez in Boston, he can handle anything that gets thrown at him in New York.

Bay seemed to have some fun today, pointing out that no one would confuse him with Torii Hunter in the outfield when asked about playing in cavernous Citi Field and jokingly offering to bat 9th if the Mets wanted.

The Mets had a little fun today too, having former hockey player Rod Gilbert give Bay a New York Rangers jersey with his #44, thrilling the Canadian in him. The Mets took one solid step toward getting their moxie back. But they have much more work to be done.



Thanks to Keith Allison via Wikipedia for the photo.

Mets get Bay, but does he really want them?

The New York Mets finally got their man with outfielder Jason Bay agreeing to a four-year, $66 million contract with a vesting option for a fifth year. But did Bay get the team he wanted? That remains an open question.

The Mets made their first offer nearly three weeks ago and there was no real movement between the parties since then. Speculation surfaced that Bay didn't really want to play for the Mets and that he was looking for another team to match or surpass the offer. If Bay's reported hesitance was merely a negotiating ploy to get a fifth year, that is nothing to worry about. Baseball, after all, is a business. But if Bay really has concerns about playing for a sluggish Mets team in a cavernous stadium, then the Mets have a potential problem on their hands. Next week's press conference to introduce Bay should be revealing.

Brian Cashman recently revealed that CC Sabathia had genuine reservations about playing for the New York Yankees because he heard the players didn't like each other. All worked out well for the Yankees because new players such as CC and Nick Swisher changed the team dynamic, making the new team's chemistry a key strength. But if Bay has real concerns about a Mets team beset by injuries that won only 70 games this season, those need to be addressed head on.

Thanks to Gonzo fan2007 via Wikipedia for the photo.