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Bay Wants To Stay
Jason Bay continues to play like his old self, and with 12 days to the non-waiver trade deadline, interest in the Pirates' slugger is at an all-time high.
Speaking to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Rob Biertempfel, Bay expressed satisfaction with his performance:
"I feel like I've gotten back to that guy who I've been in the past, and that's gratifying. But there's also some trade-talk stuff that comes with it. It's a Catch-22. I knew coming in that it would be this way."
The teams that Biertempfel mentioned as showing interest in the left fielder include The Mets, Braves, Rays and Diamondbacks, but Bay was poised when asked if he had any particular interest in a destination:
"There really is nowhere in particular that I really want to go," Bay said. "I don't want out (of Pittsburgh). I like the familiarity, and I like the direction the team is headed."
According to Biertempfel, the Pirates could still decide to give Bay an extension and build around him.
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I think change is just scary to people, because you hear this sort of thing a lot. Bay moved around a ton in the minors, and finally stuck with Pittsburgh, and he has probably made some nice friends over there. At the same time though, how could a guy like Bay not want to go somewhere that he can win? Huntington is doing a nice job, but lets be real, the Bucs are not going to be winning any pennants in the next 4 or 5 years. I think these guys just get used to living and playing somewhere, and do not want to leave. But I think that if Bay were to land in Queens, Atlanta, NYY, Arizona, or somewhere like this he would enjoy playing just as much and he would fit right in and become comfortable in a little while, and realize that he is glad he is playing for a winner.
It is nice to see though, isn't it, a guy that bounced around all over as a minor leaguer, too be thankful to the team that gave him his break and want to stay there and play for them instead of bolting asap for the biggest payday?
Posted by: nrmax88 | July 19, 2008 at 01:55 PM
I think the Pirates should trade Bay while his stock is hot. That said, the Bucs HAVE TO get 2-3 good prospects that can help at the major league level as soon as next season.
Posted by: luissojo | July 19, 2008 at 02:23 PM
Then again, they have enough moveable pieces in Wilson, Marte and Nady to potentially restock the farm system and still keep Bay.
Obviously Bay commands better/more prospects in return, but it also makes the most sense to keep him.
Posted by: Meoveryouok | July 19, 2008 at 02:58 PM
They have movable pieces, but they aren't necessarily as movable as you might think.
The asking price for Bay is rightfully high and teams just might not want to give up the prospects. I think the most likely 2 teams to trade for Bay are the D-Backs and Mets. But both have pretty weak systems after off-season trades and it is not clear (1) whether they would be willing to cripple their systems for Bay and (2) whether their systems are even strong enough to get Bay. Also, if the D-Backs get Bay then they will have 4 starting OF heading into 2009 (Bay, Byrnes, Young, and Upton). Pittsburgh needs pitching and pitching isn't a forte of either teams system.
Marte's asking price is complicated by the draft picks he will bring in the offseason. It is hard for the Pirates to justify giving him up for anything other than some very great talent with the likelihood of 2 early picks in 2009. At the same time, it is hard for other teams to justify giving up that kind of talent for a LH reliever, even with the picks they will pick up.
Lots of teams do not seem convinced that Nady's improvement is anything other than a career year. I disagree since Nady isn't relying on luck as much as he is a decreased K rate and increased BB rate (both career highs). Still, while he is a good piece, he isn't a stud where its easy to justify giving up elite prospects.
Wilson would be a good trade chip, but not that many teams need a starting SS (Red Sox, Dodgers, and Cardinals). But the Red Sox have lots of mediocre options where Wilson isn't a clear upgrade. The Dodgers are holding out for Furcal getting healthy and want to give Nomar a chance. And while the Cardinals would probably love to upgrade over Izturis, pitching might be a bigger focus. Also, the Pirates don't have a remotely decent replacement for Wilson, which complicates moving him.
We'll see what happens. I still think enough teams are interested in Nady & Marte that the Pirates should package them. Its the only way a team can really justify giving up the kind of prospects that the Pirates are after.
I still think Nady & Marte to the Rays makes the most sense, with Bay going to the D-Backs (unless Atlanta decides that they are buyers, in which case they match up better with good pitching prospects). Then Wilson to the Dodgers (for Hu + something) if they decide that Nomar can't cut it on defense and Furcal won't be a factor.
Posted by: mymrbig | July 19, 2008 at 03:14 PM
For the Braves, I'll start the bidding off with Cole Rohrbaugh. Leave the guys on the 25-man roster and Tommy Hanson alone. Who else could go into a package for Bay?
Posted by: bravesfan91 | July 19, 2008 at 04:56 PM
If I'm the Pirates, I'm only trading Bay for top prospects. I believe Hanson is the Braves top pitching prospect so the package would have to start there.
Posted by: melmann | July 19, 2008 at 06:26 PM
The Pirates shouldn't let Bay go for anything less than a Texiera type deal. And everything I read from the GM indicates that's his view. I hope he sticks to his guns.
Forget last year, Bay played on two bad surgically repaired knees. Every other year but that one, he's been a consistently superior offensive player. I'd gladly keep him to build around unless I'm blown away with an offer.
By "blown away," I'm thinking at least TWO tip top prospects (think top 5 in the system) and TWO more less prospects (top 15/20). The Pirates might throw in a player like CF Duffy or C Paulino so the deal isn't so lopsided on paper but it's going to basically be 4-for-1.
I think the Rays are the best match-up. Their only big hole is a middle-of-the-order raker. Plus they have a deep enough farm system that they can package 3-4 top prospects and still probably keep their best one (Price).
Braves, I'd say Hanson, Locke or Rohrbough, and Lillibridge for starters. Then another lesser prospect. If you think you can seriously bid on Bay and not include either Hanson or Rohrbough, you are fooling yourself.
Likewise, the Yankees would have to include Jackson and either Hughes/Kennedy. I doubt they'd part with both pitchers but that's the only way I can see them keeping Jackson if they want Bay.
I really don't want to see Bay go though. He's not represented by Boras so I think the Pirates could sign him for 3-4 more years. He should still be good for at least 3 and we could always trade him later. I really think he sincerely wants to stay in Pittsburgh because I don't see him as a flashy attention seeking player. He'd probably hate playing in NY or LA.
Posted by: cactusbix | July 19, 2008 at 07:45 PM