Are you surprised Jason Bay isn't getting much play in free agency?

Question

He's an RBI machine, one of if not highest average with men in scoring position. One of the top players in ML.

Answer 1

If you said that at the beginning I would say "Are you crazy, he will probably go to a team in a week!". But now I am not so surprised, seeing that he wants 5 years, some teams are willing to risk it. Hopefully the Mets get him, that is a team that he could be a hero on.

Answer 2

A few years ago had he hit the free agent market he would have created a bigger stir than Holliday. However, there are many factors working against him now, such as:



- Injury history. Major knee injuries aren't good in any sport, but they're especially not good when your position requires you to be able to run well and you used to be a threat on the bases, but alas, that is no longer the case.

- Age. The other marquee free agent, Holliday, is sapping Bay's value because he's younger and healthier. Though Bay has proven he can succeed in the AL, nobody wants to heap a large contract upon an outfielder with knee woes whose production can only go down from here on out.

- He's considered one-dimensional. Holliday also hurts Bay's value here because he can hit to all fields and possesses a superior career BA. Though Bay is no slouch, he is definitely a pull hitter who goes for the fences most times. That's not a bad thing, but what if he gets hurt or somehow loses that amazing power? He doesn't have the tools to compensate for that loss right now, and even Bay is aware of that (see hesitation on Mets contract offer)



All that considered, I would still sign Bay. Few teams care about defense in LF unless they're built around speed and defense alone, and even then teams like that can afford one or two average-to-below-average fielders. He's supposedly receiving more attention than Holliday, so perhaps the better question is why can't a more fundamentally sound, athletic, high-average hitter like Holliday get more play in free agency?

Answer 3

Not surprised... the Red Sox offered him 4yrs fr 15 at the All Star break and he turned it down, that told me that Bay and his agent Urban think that he is worth more than he is worth, b/c 4/15 is pretty generous fr a LF in today's game... Manny gets 20 mil a year, and he's the ceiling... Bay is not even approaching the talent of Manny... 4/15 is really generous... he should have taken it.



Bay's RBI's are totally replaceable... RBIs are a near valueless stat in today's game (or rather they always have been, its just that people finally noticed how valueless they are as a stat that assesses value of a player)... most decent hitters could have as many RBIs as Bay had hitting behind Ellsbury, Pedroia, Youkillis and others ( VMart, Drew, Papi)... those three are always on base, Boston has one of the best 1-3s in MLB...



Urban/Bay are prolly waiting for Hoilliday to sign (which will take forever b/c he's a Boras client, remember how long it took fr Manny to sign last year even tho everyone knew he was goin to LA... Varitek same deal...) once Holliday signs that will set the new ceiling for a FA LF b/c pretty much everyone will say Holliday is better than Bay.

Answer 4

I suppose you have got it proper (excluding Kevin Kolb going to the Seahawks). Kevin Kolb will surely play elswhere however now not with the Seahawks. I nonetheless consider that Hasselbeck can be re-signed and that Whitehusrt (if Hasselbeck does not go back) would be the starter. Here are 2 of my loose company predictions that should not be a shock: a million. Carson Palmer leaves Cincy. I suppose Palmer will depart earlier than he truthfully retires (he threatened retirement). The draft of Andy Dalton I suppose used to be an visible signal that Palmer is done in Cincy. I do not suppose the Bengals could draft Dalton simply to permit him sit down at the bench. My different prediction for Palmer is that he is going to Arizona or to Miami. I might see him gambling for both staff, certainly the Cardinals. two. Vincent Jackson can be re-signed through the Chargers. I suppose the Chargers will paintings a manage Jackson considering that he (external of Antonio Gates) is their largest weapon. I are not able to see Jackson leaving. He's contributed such a lot to the offense and they do not have a alternative that may achieve the kind of yardage that he can. I see the Chargers both buying and selling or freeing Malcom Floyd, which means that Jackson is their man to maintain.

Answer 5

No i am not. He is a good player, no question. But he is going to have knee problems as he ages, and an NL team would have to give up a strong LF postition for him. (Mets have bad enough defense) Other teams are reluctant to offer 5 years, because of his durability. I do think he is a player that a team could riskily sign to a long term deal, and try for a win now scenario. THen though, they may consider trading him off, after a couple years. Either way, Jason Bay has plenty of value in his bat, none so much in his body.

Answer 6

The mets and red sox have made him an offer there are 3 other teams interested to hes getting some attention

Answer 7

The Mets made him an offer weeks ago, but it seems he doesn't want to play there. You can't really blame him, he would seriously be out of place on an all Hispanic team

Answer 8

I'm not so much surprised. He's a little overaided and I think all GM's know that. So they're not offering as much money as he thinks he deserves. Until he comes to his senses then he'll finally land a job.

Answer 9

No, Matt Holliday is still available.

Answer 10

Poor defense, high strikeout rate, can't hit a slider down and away, too expensive.



Edit: You have so much to learn...starting with that errors are the poorest way to measure the defensive value of a player.