Mets Fans Forever

Jason Bay to join the Mets for 4 Years.

Author: Lenny Chiarello

WFAN’s Mike Francesa said on Monday night that he had some big Mets news to announce on Tuesday afternoon.  

Mike delivered.  

Francesa was the first to report that the New York Mets and free agent slugger Jason Bay have agreed to a four-year contract worth $66 million. SI’s John Heyman and the Post’s Joel Sherman confirmed the details soon after Francesa made the announcement on his daily radio show, “Mike’d Up.”  

The four-year deal includes a vesting option, which is reported to be close to the average annual payout of the guaranteed contract. The option seems to be based on plate appearances and offensive production—in essence, if Jason Bay stays healthy, he will be the Mets’ left fielder in that 5^th season (which is 2014).  

It’s unclear whether the deal will be back loaded or not, with the majority of his contract coming in 2012 and 2013.    

The question of Jason Bay’s health seems to be a trending topic in the Mets Blog-o-sphere, especially after Joel Sherman of the NY Post had this to say about the newest Met:  

“There has been a lot of talk in the sport that the Red Sox were hesitant to do a long-term deal with Bay because they were concerned about the health of his shoulders.” 

Nothing against Sherman, but Bay has averaged 154 games the past five seasons---During his Boston days, Jason Bay was the designated hitter 1 (ONE) game.  

Listen, I understand that you cannot take the “pending physical” part of the press release for granted…If you don’t believe me, ask Boston fans how they feel right now that Mike Lowell is still a member of the Red Sox. 

Going back to the Mets, I feel this is a fantastic pickup for the Metropolitans. I was never a believer of the “make a deal for the sake of making one” attitude—in tomorrow’s papers, many will feel that Jason Bay is a Met for this reason.  

I always was a big fan of Omar Minaya (see my “In Omar I Trust” article if you don’t believe me). Put this right up there with the big Omar acquisitions. It gives the Mets a legitimate power threat who has proved his durability and has proved he can play in a big market (unlike Matt Holliday).  

What’s the best part of this deal? We are 50 days away from pitchers and catchers. What does that mean? The Hot Stove season is still young. 

The Battle Hymn Of Omar Minaya

Author: Greg Pomes

The last 2 off seasons Omar Minaya's mantra has been "be patient."  Where did being patient get us last season?  After K-Rod Omar signed Ollie Perez to a contract, severely overpaying him and then right before the season started he signed Gary Sheffield.  This off season after the Mets lost 90 games what has Omar done?  Not much!  He signed Henry Blanco and die hard Phillies catcher Chris Coste and signed Ryota Igarashi, a reliever from Japan who has had tommy john surgery for 3 million dollars and that's it.  The Red Sox signed John Lackey and the Phillies got Roy Halladay.  

I'm tiring of being patient, it doesn't get us nowhere.  Last year Omar let Derek Lowe get away and we got stuck with Perez.  Omar's game of wait and see obviously doesn't work but like everyone else in the Mets organization he doesn't make adjustments, he just goes on losing out on free agents and signing certain players to bigger deals than they deserve.  Omar Minaya is a horrible General Manager, there is no way around that.  The Yankees won the World Series and that hasn't stopped GM Brian Cashman from improving his team, he made a good trade for Curtis Granderson and he didn't overpay Nick Johnson, giving the often injured Johnson a 1 year deal.  GM's are working on improving their teams while Omar just sits back and say "be patient."

It is time to get aggressive and sign Jason Bay.  The Mets need a left fielder, Bay has nowhere else to go, it should be quite simple but I forget we are talking about Omar Minaya, a guy who cannot handle a simple firing of a manager or an executive without creating a public relations nightmare.  

My patience has worn thin, it's time for action before we lose another 90 games in 2010.

Writers Roundtable

Author: Will Sommer

I recently asked all of the writers of MFF the following question:

What is the Mets greatest need right now and why? Here were their responses:

Clare Lafferty: The Mets greatest position of need for me is pitching. You always need pitching if you want to succeed, even if your hitting is stellar. Pitching wins you pennants - sim ple as that.

That being said, I would also want the first base position to be decided on whether that means giving Delgado another chance, using Murphy or going out and getting another first baseman. We could also use a power outfielder and hopefully Jason Bay will agree to become part of our team.

But it always comes down to pitching. We need at least one or possibly two more quality starters and another reliever wouldn't hurt.

Greg Pomes: The Mets greatest position need is starting pitching.  The Mets need a solid number 2 pitcher behind Santana if they want to be competitive.  The last 3 years have shown us that lack of starting pitching hurts your team as it tires your bullpen and leads to bullpen problems.  The Mets are not a power team, they need pitching to succeed.

Thank You Omar

Author: Paul Zinn

Omar Minaya and the Mets have still done little to improve the Mets this offseason. But at least some things finally seem to be in motion. And for that, I am thankful.

The first three days of the Winter Meetings were disturbingly quiet on the Mets front. We heard about interest in a number of big players from a variety of teams, and even worse, we saw the Yankees improve themselves by picking up centerfielder Curtis Granderson.

The Mets had seemed to be preparing an offer to Bengie Molina for some time, and that came today. But more importantly, the Mets made a move for one of the big-name free agents in this year's class, reportedly offering Jason Bay, a four-year, $65 million contract.

I have been a big proponent of the idea that this team needs to improve. They have a new park, and they are built to win now. The gap between the Mets and contenders is significant, but a few big names that perform will quickly close it and could make New York a contender quickly.

Bay isn't the only answer. Pitching is needed as well, but he is a huge first step.

Despite a .267 batting average, he hit 36 home runs with 119 RBIs last season with the Red Sox in 2009, numbers that will drastically improve the Mets leftfield situation. He struggled in the postseason this year, but hit .412 with two home runs and five RBIs in the 2008 ALDS and .292 with one home run and four RBIs in the ALCS that season.

Bay's performance with the Red Sox is the best reason why I would sign him. I was not a big Bay fan when he arrived in Boston, but his performance in a baseball hotbed tells me he, and not Matt Holliday, is the best option for the Mets offensively. I think he can handle New York City.

If New York can then add a big pitcher, I think they'll be back. Even better, the Bay contract is not going to be one of these massive, $100 million plus ones.

He will, however, probably ask for a bit more money.

Please Omar, give it to him, and let's get this ship righted. 

Blogger Roundtable

Author: Will Sommer

I recently asked Andrew Vazzano of The Ropolitans, Michael Baron of MetsBlog, Joe Janish of Mets Today, and Joe D. of Mets Merized a question concerning the big free agents and whether they think the Mets will sign any of them. Here were their responses.

Joe Janish: I think the "biggest" free agents the Mets will sign will be Bengie Molina and one of either Jason Marquis or Randy Wolf. Ho-hum, I know.  If they find a way to rid themselves of Luis Castillo, add Orlando Hudson to the list. Of course, none of those four will make the Mets a significantly better team in 2010, but neither would the signing of Matt Holliday or John Lackey (though, signing both Holliday and Lackey MIGHT improve the club).

  The Mets have too many holes to address, and this year's free agent class is lacking in talent and depth. There are a number of "under the radar" free agents that can plug some of those holes, but to find them and land them requires a sharp eye, willingness to gamble, and shrewd negotiation skills. Based on the recent signings of Alex Cora, Elmer Dessens, and Chris Coste, I have little faith that the Mets front office meets any of those requirements.

Andrew Vazzano: I think the Mets will make a hard push for Matt Holliday. He is not a perfect fit, but he's the premier free agent on the market. If the team is willing to hand out a big contract worth a ton of money, I think they're more set to use it on a position player over a pitcher, like John Lackey.

Mets Pitching Wasn't Bad In 2009, It Was The Catchers!

Author: Greg Pomes

Bart Hubbuch, the Mets beat writer for the New York Post had an interesting article yesterday in which he offers an explination of the Mets signing bonaza of catchers this past week.  According to Bart Hubbuch pitching coach Dan Warthen and Mets manager Jerry Manuel were none too happy with the catching staff last season and blames the combination of Omir Santos and Brian Schneider on the problems the pitching staff had in 2009.  

According to the article Warthen holds the catchers responsible for the team ERA of 4.46 and the 616 walks given up by the pitching staff in 2009.  This is typical New York Mets in my opinion.  When something goes wrong instead of manning up and taking responsibility just blame someone else, its easier and convenient.  

How were the combination of Santos and Schneider responsible for Oliver Perez's horrible season?  How about Mike Pelfrey freaking out every time the opposing team got a runner on base and he would balk that runner over?  The problem is Dan Warthen who was a walk machine in his playing career.  While Santos did not at times slow the game down for pitchers and did not baby some of the Met pitchers he did call a good game.  Brian Schneider on the other hand called great games, knew when to give encouragement and knew when to go to the mound to slow down the pitcher at times.  The pitchers missed the strike zone, allowing the 616 walks not the catchers.  The pitchers minus Santana were constantly inside their own heads, letting something as a close call on the base or an error screw up their concentration, not the catcher.  Warthen did not do his job last season and now he is pointing the finger at others to justify having a job still.  Warthen and his staff were given a pitchers park to play half their games in and they never even used the park to their advantage.  I wonder if the Mets pitching staff has another bad season who will be at blame, perhaps the umpires?  Maybe the fans are wearing too many bright shirts and distracting them on the mound?  I'm sure Warthen is already working on his excuses.

Has Orlando Hudson Become More Attractive To The Mets?

Author: Greg Pomes

There is no question about it that the Mets are trying to move Luis Castillo this off season. There was a trade rumor going around about a week ago that involved a 3 way trade that would send Castillo to the Cubs but it ultimately fell through.  The Mets are still actively trying to move Castillo and the player to replace him is free agent Orlando Hudson.  I believe Hudson is very much on the radar list of the Mets this off season if they can move Castillo and acquiring him just got more attractive as The Dodgers did not offer Hudson arbitration yesterday.

The Dodgers not offering Hudson arbitration means that the Mets won't have to give The Dodgers their draft pick.  I think that Hudson is overrated by a lot of Mets fans and bloggers and one of the main reasons why so many fans want him is that "he is not Castillo."  Hudson is a good player, he won his 4th gold glove this year but he is not a game changer and will cost too much money.  He is a good clubhouse guy by all reports but his numbers are similar to Castillo's.  Also don't forget that he lost his 2nd base job as the season ended.  While he will not cost the Mets a draft pick he will cost the Mets money, money they need to sign Matt Holliday and a starting pitcher be it Halladay via a trade or John Lackey on the free agent market not on a second baseman who lost his job to Ronnie Belliard as the Dodgers competed in the post season.