Yesterday, Jon Heyman of SI.com said he believes the Mets big-ticket target will likely end up playing left field.
…obviously, the two big free-agent left fielders are Matt Holliday and Jason Bay…
According to Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle, “You can forget about the Giants going after Holliday or Bay.”
Last week, Heyman said on SI.com that Holliday first prefers the Yankees, then the Dodgers, Angels and Mets, “perhaps in that order.”
According to Heyman, “Holliday is said to be preferred by Mets people to Jason Bay as a gung-ho clubhouse presence and a little better bat.”
Meanwhile, the Red Sox apparently decided not to try to re-sign Bay, reports Bill Madden in the Daily News.
…i think it’s pretty clear holliday’s agent, Scott Boras, will start off asking for an eight-year, $180 million, like the one he locked down for Mark Teixeira… but, the buzz in MLB suggests no team will go more than seven years, and he’s not going to be treated like teixeira, in that he isn’t a gold glove first baseman… from what i can gather, boras is trumpeting this off season as holliday’s time to shine, his time to become a star… so, to me, i take that to mean holliday is capable of getting, say, six or seven years, and around $17 million per season, assuming he is being pursued by the Mets, Yankees, Red Sox and Angels all at the same time… meanwhile, bay can expect to sign a deal worth less than holliday… his agent is Joe Urban, not 
boras, so i have to think these two camps will just wait, wait and wait through the off season… but, in the end, i believe bay will end up signing a four– or five-year deal, paying him a tad less per season than holliday… plus, his market will take a bit of a hit if the Red Sox take a back seat…
Holliday, who will be 30 on Opening Day next season, has hit at at least .307 each of the last five seasons, with 24 HR this season, 25 HR last season, a career .387 OBP and roughly 40 or so doubles per year.
Bay, who will be 31 yeas old on Opening Day, hit 30–plus HR and 20–plus RBI each of the last two seasons, and, though he hit .267 in 2009 and .247 in 2007, he hit .286 in 2008 playing for the Pirates and Red Sox.
…bay is the better fielder, with the better outfield arm… but, holliday is the more consistent, well-rounded hitter… to me, holliday is worth the extra financial commitment, over bay, because he’s a bit younger, and, of the two, i think he fits in more with what the Mets need, from his hustle to his approach at that plate…
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{ 28 comments }
I couldn’t vote because there wasn’t a neither option. 17 for 7 is WAY TOO much for Holiday. 15 for 5 is WAY TOO much for Bay. So neither. Which would I rather have for the next 5 years… Holiday and I would pay a little more for him.
If it must be Holiday – the deal should be 4 years at 15 per.
I know it won’t happen… I just wouldn’t be happy if it was more than that.
haha same here…I don’t think either will sign for those amounts. I can’t see a GM signing Holliday for essentially the same amount Beltran got 5 years ago, when Beltran was 27 and a much better player at a more important position.
i agree…didnt vote either…neither guy is a good fielder, has great power or speed…holiday in the outfield at citi is a little scary…lets get some pitching——
I take the shorter commitment.
My peferred choice is still Crawford.
where’s the option for:
johnny damon for 2 years and 12 +
lackey for 4/5 and 16 +
russ branyan as a cheap platoon guy for first?
Good lord if we learn nothing else from the ‘09 season it’s no more freaking platoons as long as Jerry Manuel is our manager. What a disaster he makes out of a platoon position! No thank you!
Jerry never played a platoon… he played favorites. An actual strict platoon could save us money and give us some league average production or better.
As far as damon… rag arm aside, he can still track a ball. and in left with beltran and french would be a solid defense. plus the dude can still hit. bat him second, save some money and have a plan for the future that allows for our young guys to develop as well as having some flex later for when a legit max dollar type free agent is available.
johnny damon in the outfield at citifield will make us long for the days of daniel murphy out there…
Is Bay really better in the field than Holliday? If so, that is scary since Bay is pretty bad. Other than his error in the LDS, I thought Holliday has been a better defensive leftfielder than Bay.
if you believe in UZR, Holliday is better than bay
UZR is a proven stat, and is nothing about believing or anything. Just because it makes things out like Daniel Murphy was good at 1st doesn’t discount it’s validity. Theo Epstein and his Camp take it seriously, and it’s half the case they are looking to move Ellsbury to LF. Because his UZR showed he was pretty bad 16.7 last year to a -12.5 this year.
Holiday is pretty fine in LF. He typically makes no mistakes, gets to a fair amount of balls. He doesn’t have a great arm, but he won’t kill you. He’s been a solid outfield in the field his entire career. He’s no Gold Glover, but he’s solid. Bay is attrocious. He’s had a negative UZR rating the last 3 years, and it keeps getting worse.
Holliday stinks in the outfield. No UZR can substitute for personal observation. It’s wrong on Murphy and wrong on Holliday.
If Mets inssist on cavernous ballpark, they should stay clear of players who poorly fit.
Not only is Holliday’s D unfit for Citi, but his brand – his offense – is function of Coors Field. No need to spend all that money and years on a Nady type – and on D, a lessor type.
Holliday is basically average, while Bay is below. The statement that Bay is better is well off the mark.
The trend of Bay getting worse each year, and then taking him from Fenway’s LF to Citimeadow’s LF could be a disaster.
Holliday looked bad when he played in NY, but given his track record I would expect him to learn to be average in Citi as well.
Matt is wrong on Holliday’s fielding. Holliday is a better fielder than Bay.
But………Holliday’s arm is below average.
So is Johnny Damon’s and hasn’t stopped the Yankees from making the world series.
Yeah, but that’s because the Yankees have enough offensive firepower to overcome Damon’s arm. The Mets on the other hand, don’t.
When you add a bat as consistent as Matt Holliday his arm should be the last thing you worry about.
Fielding wise he’s not as bad as Damon in LF. Damon is terrible in the field, and he has no arm. it’s an adventure with every ball hit out there.
With the addition of Matt holiday the mets lineup is vastly improved. You have 4 really good hitters in Wright, Reyes, Beltran and Holliday. you have Huge Question Marks in Murphy and Franceour, and you have the anemic Castillo and the Catching position.
Is this blog going to become an off-season version of “who should we get this season” and discuss the Mets under the presumption that every player will be healthy and playing to their potential.
The only discussion we should be having at this juncture is how to improve the Mets’ medical and training staff. In connection with the Yankees’ run this year is not only how well they’ve done, but how they have no injuries right now. And, when half of your prime players are 35+, it’s a huge accomplishment. Except for Wang, the Yankees are completely healthy.
you should also include the assumption that every player wants to come to the mets and/or that if we want said player, we WILL get him.
and if “we” don’t get them, it will be yet another example of the Wilpons being CHEAP!
You hit the nail on the head. I think they should stay clear of the way overrated Holliday – bt if they do, you know what’s going to happen.
AN excellent and valid point!
I’m surprised the Sox may not bring Bay back. From listening to sportstalk radio in Boston , which by the way is much worse than in NY even though the announcers aren’t Francesa-bad…anyways…everyone liked him, the team liked him, he liked the team…It was a good fit. Another reason why i’m intrigued by their F.O….they may not want to risk a big contract on a player they dont fully believe in (i’m speculating that.)
No thanks.
It would be horrible to pay Holliday that much just see him hit 18 to 25 HR’s.
Big money for big boppers – Holliday is not a big bopper.
His home away splits in Colorado will show you that.
22HR’s in Coors – 11 Away.
That about 22 HR;s a year if u double his away numbers
NO THANKS.
Get a cheap stop gap, ie Dye
Exactly, 7train! Holliday is way overrated.
Aside the excellant points you noted, he’s also a .284/.353/.454 hitter on the road – obviously mostly all of that accrued away from Coors.
To me, Holliday is Xavier Nady and Nady is proven commodity on both NY teams and a better defensive player. I’ve also seen Holliday too many times with my own eyes to know he offers sub par range and defense, and is very bad fit for Citi Field. Nady is free agent coming of TJ surgery who has become a better hitter than he was for us.
If Mets sign Holliday, they’re paying for brand name while only getting 99 cent store quality. They’re far better off signing Nady if his arm is ready to go.,
I spent the last couple years watching Bay up close up in Boston. He is not as good on the day to day as the hype. Lets sign Holliday and trade for Hallady and have some Happy Holidays!
Holliday will give us a nice middle of the lineup presence. Bay does not do that. He is not a 4 hitter which is what we are looking for and what Holliday was in St Louis
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