Buzz: Boston’s Last Offer to Jason Bay
Jon Heyman of SI.com believes the Red Sox made a four-year, $60 million offer to Jason Bay last summer, but retracted it and then offered a three-year, $44 million contract this off season instead.
…this would probably explain why the Mets never felt it necessary to guarantee a fifth season to bay… it seems quite clear only the Mets and Red Sox, and probably the Cardinals, had legitimate, serious interest in bay…
…in my research, i always find the Mariners and Angels interest to be overstated, and the Giants and Yankees were never going to offer the money and years to get a deal done… and, frankly, i would think the Cardinals interest had more to do with leverage against Matt Holliday… and that was the thing, in the end, it was bay and holliday and the Mets and the Cardinals… bay said he had a short list, but i think short might be an overstatement…
…this is not to say he doesn’t genuinely want to be on the Mets… he might… he might not… the point is, the Mets offered the most and he took it… this will of course lead people to speculate he would rather have played in Seattle or Boston, but settled on the Mets because really had no choice… i guess… but, really, who cares… what’s the difference… i’d rather have a guy who hates New York but who gets the job done, than have a guy who loves being here and stinks… the point is, it’s about productivity and helping the Mets win, and if he does that, that’s all that matters to me…
…again, i still would have rather seen the Mets sign holliday… but, if holliday ends up getting an eight-year deal, and the Mets got bay for four, i’d probably switch positions… in either case, i do not think the Mets will ever regret signing bay… i also have seen no evidence from people connected to the team that his contract will hinder their ability to sign other free agents, or retain their own, in future off seasons…
…and so, with that, good luck, jason… and welcome to the Mets…
