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Bay will take his power to spacious Citi Field.
December 30, 2009
By: Fred Zinkie
The Mets took their lumps in the media while the Phillies and Braves made moves earlier in the off-season. But, Omar Minaya struck back big time yesterday, securing the services of Jason Bay for at least the next four years. These moves shake up New York’s lineup significantly – let’s look at the values of Bay and other Mets.
Jason Bay – This isn’t a great signing for Bay’s fantasy value. Citi Field has proven to be a pitcher’s park so far so Bay will be hard pressed to match his home run totals from previous years. 30 homers might be the max projection for Bay in his first year in New York. He has been able to drive in 100 runs in four of the past five years and he should be able to continue that trend as long as New York’s other talented hitters can stay healthy. He is still a good outfield option but doesn’t have the upside that he had a year ago.
Angel Pagan – He figured to lose his everyday role at some point during the off-season and the Bay signing makes it official. He flashed some exciting skills last year but also drove the team crazy with his mental lapses. He will start the year as a fourth outfielder. Considering that Bay and Jeff Francouer both have excellent track records, Pagan will struggle to play often unless Carlos Beltran has another injury plagued year.
Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, David Wright – These players all have elite talent and didn’t need Bay to be successful. However, the Mets really need to change their overall vibe after such a down year in 2009. Adding Bay makes their batting lineup a lot more dangerous and that can help to create more runs for Reyes, Wright and Beltran to be involved with.
Fernando Martinez – He didn’t impress when injuries forced him into major league duty last year. He probably won’t get the chance to disappoint again in 2010. The starting outfield jobs are spoken for and Pagan can handle the top backup job. Martinez won’t be with the Mets until the at-bats are there for him and that shouldn’t happen in 2010.