Buzz: Giants out on Bay & Holliday, Sox out on Bay
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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