Mets Sink $66 Million into the Bay: Bad Move

This Column Originally Published at GetOutofMyBallpark.com

Over the past few weeks, listening to what Theo, Tito and others who know what is up (Perter Gammons chief among them), I've softened on the whole Mike Cameron thing. I still think it is a bad idea to trade away both Ellsbury and Buchholz for anyone, even Adrian Gonzalez (though either one of them along with a package of top end prospects is cool with me), but having Cameron patrolling under the Monster and training Ells how to track balls and take better angles so that he can make it look easy is an idea that is growing on me.

The reason that I had not liked the signing in the first place was because it closed the door on the possible return of Jason Bay, who was the offensive key for the Sox last season. When he hit, the Sox hit. When he didn't, they couldn't score runs for the life of them.

He ended the season at .267 with 36 HR and 119 RBI, leading many to believe that signing him to cement the middle of the order would be the Sox first priority this winter. I was among that group originally, and while I have since seen some of what the "don't sign Bay" contingent was saying (he struck out too much and that he wasn't going to be a $15 million a year player at age 35), Jason was a class act since the day he arrived, helped the entire nation get over a messy breakup with Manny, and played very well for the majority of his time on the Sox.

Though the Sox did make a very strong offer at four years and $60 million, Bay was seen to be wanting more years and his agent, Joe Urbon, had evidently led him to believe that that type of thing was out there. Unfortunately, Bay's defensive liabilities (which were masked in many ways by the small size of Fenway's left field) and something that Red Sox head trainer Mike Reinhold (a shoulder guru) saw on Bay's MRI held the team back as they rebuilt the team for next season around pitching (Lester, Beckett, Lackey) and defense.

So Bay has now reportedly signed with the New York Mets for four years and $66 million with a vesting option to make it five years and $80 million. For Jason Bay, it seems, this is the best deal he is going to get, so the deal works. For the Red Sox, it is a best case scenario, as Bay doesn't end up in a placewhere he will be a problem for them and with him off the market, they can stop dealing with fans who still want him back.

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