How Much Is Jason Bay Worth?
Jason Bay has been fueling the Red Sox offense lately and fans are wondering when Theo is going to sign him to a long term contract. Red Sox assistant GM Jed Hoyer was asked about the negotiations yesterday during a live chat at Sawxheads.com:
Jed Hoyer: I can't specifically address any contract negotiations but I can say that Jason Bay has been outstanding for the organization in every way. He is a first-class teammate and he has fit in with out team seamlessly. Oh, and he seems to get big hits all the time too...
Bay is entering the prime of his career and will be looking for his big payout. He is 30 years old right now and his agent will ask for at least a 5 year deal. If he becomes a free agent the Yankees will get into the mix and throw all kinds of money at him to replace Johnny Damon in left. So should the Red Sox break the bank to lock him up for the long term? There are a couple of reasons the deal hasn't happened yet:
The economy: Teams are not offering the huge contracts that they were a few years ago and with the current financial situation the Red Sox might want to see if the sellout streak continues and if revenue will keep up.
Bay's career numbers: Jason Bay has only hit over .300 in 2005, in 2007 he hit .247. He is a career .284 hitter. He has had only 2 100+ RBI seasons. Last season he had 51 strikeouts with 22 walks with the Red Sox, those numbers are much better this season: 26 strikeouts with 28 walks.
This season he has looked very good at the plate and in the field and has been a good teammate who stays healthy. Is the 2009 Jason Bay the player you will get in the future? Theo needs a little more time to tell and after all, in Theo we trust.
5 comments:
That "career numbers" paragraph is weak. Batting average, who cares, career .901 OPS playing for crap Pitt teams. Also, RBIs? Team stat -- he played on crap teams.... and he still got two 100 RBI years in Pitt... and got a third 100 RBI year last season.
Jason Bay is going to sign a 4-year, $52M deal.
There is no way Bay's agent will let him sign a 4 year deal at under $12 mil /year.
I'm just saying he has not had the kind of numbers he is putting up right now in the past. He can still improve as a hitter and I believe he will. I hope the Red Sox do sign him for the long term, I just don't blame Theo for taking his time.
52 Million divided by 4 years IS over $12 mil/year.
It's 13.
I ment to say there is no way Bay's agent will let him sign a deal for less than 5 years at $12mil/year. I don't think the the salary the first person said was far off in this economic client, I think the length is off. Bay would be 35 coming off of a 4 year deal.
You don't pay for past performance. Bay will be 31 in the first year of his deal, it would be a different story if this was 2 seasons ago. This thread will be interesting to look back on.
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