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Jason Bay

Mets’ Molina Strategy Linked To Bay

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Ken Davidoff of Newsday (subscription required) reminds us that the Mets made offers to Jason Bay (four years and about $65MM) and Bengie Molina (two years and about $10MM) on December 10th.  After talking to a Mets official, Davidoff explains the team's strategy:

If the team fails to secure Bay, it will strongly consider raising its offer to Molina. But if Bay signs, the Mets will hold a harder line with Molina.

MetsBlog's Matthew Cerrone doesn't see why the two would be related, and I agree.  Is it a payroll thing?  Or do the Mets simply hold Molina in higher regard than the other 29 teams?

Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post says both players are holding out for an extra year, and the Mets might start considering other options if the stalemate continues.

Jason Bay Rumors: Sunday

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Bill Madden of the New York Daily News writes that Jason Bay can thank his agent, Joe Urbon, for pricing him out of a good situation in Boston. With no obvious bidders remaining for Bay besides the New York Mets, Madden says that Urbon returned to the Red Sox to see if they would revisit negotiations with Bay. The Sox, however, having signed Mike Cameron, no longer appear interested.

Madden thinks that Bay's reluctance to accept the Mets' four-year, $64MM offer suggests the outfielder is wary of playing in Citi Field for a team that "even with him, looks to be no better than a third-place club." Newsday's Ken Davidoff agrees that Citi Field could be a factor, as the Mets pursue Bay and other free agents. Davidoff points out that, statistically, the park doesn't seem all that bad for hitters, but it's hard to shake that perception.

Odds & Ends: Rollins, Orioles, Anthopoulos

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Saturday morning links. Not quite as good as cartoons, but we'll do our best…

Jason Bay Rumors: Saturday

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The market for Jason Bay got smaller when the Mariners acquired Milton Bradley yesterday, and now it appears the Mets are bidding against themselves for the free agent outfielder, writes Ken Davidoff of Newsday. John Harper of The NY Daily News says that Bay and his agent Joe Urbon continue to stall for five years, however they're running out of leverage according to The NY Post's Bart Hubbuch.

ESPN's Buster Olney hears that the Mets "are convinced they are the lone big-money bidder on Bay," though Davidoff points out that New York's other team was supposed to hear something yesterday, but didn't. If any other club has interest in adding Bay's stick to their lineup, I'd say they've done a fine job of keeping it quiet.

Heyman On Bay, Molina, M’s, Dodgers

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The Mariners are "not a serious player" for Jason Bay, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. The Braves and Giants don't appear to be engaged with Bay and the Angels aren't focused on him now, so the Mets are the lone known suitor for the left fielder. They're keeping in touch with Scott Boras, who represents Matt Holliday, but they may be willing to offer Bay a deal in the five-year $75MM range. They're hoping to hear back from him today. 

Ideally, the Mets would like to sign Bay and Bengie Molina, who still wants a three-year deal worth about $20MM, or roughly twice as much as the team is presently willing to commit. Here are the rest of Heyman's rumors:

  • The Angels have more interest in Javier Vazquez than Derek Lowe, according to one source.
  • The Mariners are interested in locking up Cliff Lee and Felix Hernandez. 
  • The Red Sox would like to acquire Adrian Gonzalez. If they can't pull a trade for Gonzalez off, they would like to sign Adrian Beltre. However, that could put them over the luxury tax. 
  • The Dodgers are interested in Ronnie Belliard and Felipe Lopez. 

New York Rumors: Sheets, Bay, Molina

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After reporting earlier tonight that Nick Johnson and the Yankees are on the verge of an agreement, Newsday's Ken Davidoff looks at what that means for the Yankees, and brings us some Mets tidbits as well….

  • Davidoff acknowledges skepticism about the Yanks entering the season with Melky Cabrera manning left field every day, but points out that the team will be getting above-average production from enough other positions to make it work. As Davidoff speculated earlier tonight, it looks likely that the signing of Johnson will signal the end of Johnny Damon's stint as a Yankee.
  • A starting pitcher is the Yankees' next priority. Although they have interest in Ben Sheets, they probably won't get involved in a bidding war over the righty.
  • The Mets, meanwhile, are hoping Jason Bay responds to their contract offer tomorrow, either with an acceptance or, more realistically, with a counter-proposal. The team's current offer is $65MM over four years. It sounds like they'd be willing to add a fifth year, at a slightly lesser annual salary. SI.com's Jon Heyman wonders, via Twitter, who else could be in on the Bay bidding.
  • The Mets' pursuit of Bengie Molina could still take some time. Davidoff indicates that, with other catchers still in play, the club can afford to wait for Molina's demands to lower a little.

Olney On Holliday, Bay, DeRosa

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Hot stove nuggets from ESPN's Buster Olney…

  • Olney doesn't see Jacoby Ellsbury as a great fit for the Padres in a potential Adrian Gonzalez deal, in that Ellsbury will be arbitration-eligible a year from now and is represented by Scott Boras.
  • Olney heard the Red Sox would be interested in signing Matt Holliday at less than the current Cardinals offer.  Here's the question: what exactly did the Cardinals offer to Holliday in guaranteed money and years?  $15-16MM a year for up to eight years is pretty vague.  Is it just a five-year offer, as Olney suggested a few days ago?
  • Jose Valverde is in a bad place, writes Olney, as there's no clear suitor looking to spend $8-10MM for a closer and give up a draft pick.  If Valverde lingers on the market into February he could be a bargain.
  • Olney heard that the Mets' "five-year concept" for Jason Bay is heavily backloaded, so much that the true value is similar to Boston's rejected four-year, $60MM offer.
  • Righty Edgar Gonzalez might be Japan-bound.  He spent this year in the Oakland organization.
  • Mark DeRosa's asking price appears to have come down – Olney says it's in the three-year, $18MM range.  Still seems too pricey, but it's a step in the right direction.

Odds & Ends: Lowe, Bay, Gonzalez

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News and notes from around the big leagues tonight…

  • Derek Lowe tells MLB.com's Mark Bowman that he doesn't expect to be back in Atlanta in 2010 and feels rather disrespected by being put on the trade market just a year after signing with the Braves: "I would have never even considered going there if I knew that ultimately this was going to happen."
  • The Providence Journal's Joe McDonald considers Theo Epstein's comments from the Mike Cameron press conference to be a virtual farewell to Jason Bay's time in Boston.
  • As if the Mike Gonzalez and Garrett Atkins signings weren't enough, the Orioles also "made a pretty good run" at trading for Adrian Gonzalez at the winter meetings, tweets ESPNBoston.com's Gordon Edes.
  • Scott Merkin of MLB.com is reporting (via Twitter) that Jason Botts has been given an invitation to spring training by the White Sox.  Botts played in Japan last season after posting a .230/.325/.344 line in 326 plate appearances with Texas from 2005 to 2008.
  • MLB.com's Todd Zolecki (via Twitter) quoted Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. as saying "Right now, it doesn't look good," in regards to Chan Ho Park re-signing with Philadelphia.
  • ESPN's Jayson Stark talks with Baseball America's John Manuel about how the Phillies' farm system looks in the wake of the big Roy Halladay/Cliff Lee deal.
  • Jose Contreras wanted a three-year contract from the Rockies, but the club "didn't bite," reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com.  Harding notes that Colorado may have to wait to see what happens with Rafael Betancourt's possible arbitration case before they can make a move toward signing relievers like Contreras or Joe Beimel.
  • If the Nationals can't sign any relief help, they will move a willing Collin Balester into the bullpen, reports MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
  • Jake Westbrook seems fit after his stint Puerto Rican Winter League, reports MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince.  It was rumored that the Tribe would have been in the market for a veteran starter (maybe Carl Pavano) to anchor their staff had Westbrook suffered a setback from his Tommy John surgery in 2008.

Mets Notes: Bay, Marquis, Pineiro

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A few newsbits surrounding the Flushing Meadows nine….

  • Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports says the the Mets "are trying to be careful not to bid against themselves" for Jason Bay since they may be the only club with serious interest at this point.  Rosenthal notes that the Red Sox are no longer a factor given the Mike Cameron signing, the Angels and Giants have "consistently downplayed their interest" in the free agent outfielder and the Mariners were never a major player in the Bay sweepstakes.  We learned earlier today about the Mets' current offer to Bay.
  • Rosenthal and his cohort Jon Paul Morosi also note that the Mets have interest in Jason Marquis and Joel Pineiro, but may face some competition from division rivals Washington.  Rosenthal and Morosi say the Nationals want to add two pitchers, with at least one being a No. 2 starter, and the Nats are also looking at Jon Garland.  
  • Newsday's Ken Davidoff said that (of all things) Bay's long-ago stint in center field with Pittsburgh is the reason that New York rates him as a better defender than Matt Holliday.
  • While answering e-mails from Mets fans disappointed by their team's lack of big free agent moves, MLB.com's Marty Noble points out that no number of free agents would make the Mets contenders in 2010 unless their large number of injured stars are healthy.  Noble also "wouldn't count on a reunion" between the Mets and Joe Torre in spite of the fact that Torre's contract is up in Los Angeles after next year and Jerry Manuel might be on the hot seat.
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