And if Jason Bay indeed has an injury that needs time to heal better that we DL him now then try to play through the injury and make it worse. You also must remember that the guys have been training and playing in warm weather but the weather in NY may well be in the 40′s for night games in April. NOT A WISE CHOICE TO GAMBLE WITH THE 66 MILLION DOLLAR MAN…

I would be willing to bet that Sandy Alderson and Terry Collins will feel the same!

He’s no wuss, but I don’t expect him to be playing next month either.

Russell, generally it’s not optional. One is or one is not.

Do you actually watch baseball, did you see the replay that was aired 345,213 times? If that is a wuss well then I guess you’re bionic. Why aren’t you out there playing, LITTLE Nicky?

Where’s the evidence of his decline other than the fact that he is aging and had one lousy year that was concussion-plagued?

Boston does a great job of getting guys a year or two away from free agency, putting them in the best possible situation (Park and lineup) turning them into Type A free agents while getting good results and then letting them go.

Bay did have a lot of AB’s in front of a guy with huge platoon splits in Wright and a rookie in Davis. He also was followed farther down the order with free swingers Francoeur and Barajas and guys that don’t scare you like Thole, Blanco, Castillo and Tejada and started the season hitting in front of Jacobs.

It was unrealistic to expect Bay to hit in our line up and Park the way he did in Boston’s. It is also unrealistic to expect Jason Bay to be the Jason Bay we think of back in his Pirate and Redsox days. In July he played 19 games before getting hurt and had 3 extra base hits and hit under .200. His defense was decent but can anyone really believe it will stay that way for another 4 years?

Pitchers are going to use the big field to their advantage but he was actually better at home than the road. This surprised me a lot.

Not having dangerous LH hitters in the lineup is going to continue to hurt Bay (and Wright) Beltran not being in the lineup really hurts both of those guys. If Duda were in there hitting well and Thole can put a scare in guys that would be huge for both of them.

Playing for the big contract as opposed to trying to live up to it is a big deal. So is an off season of preparing for your walk year compared to an off season of offers, visits, counter offers, decisions, looking for a house, schools, moving, new stadium, line up, teammates, league, neighborhood, ect. It’s a lot different signing the big deal than it is being traded and thrust into the middle of a great lineup in a hitters park and pennant races that keep everyone excited. Add in that he has passed into an age where players in the post steroidal era begin their decline and have more injury issues, had no one on the bench keeping anyone sharp or chipping in and an organization that tolerates non performance and what do you expect is going to happen?

I never thought Bay looked at us as anything more than a fall back option anyway (same as Delgado and Beltran) His agent dragged the negotiations on and on and then when the final offer appeared he stalled and waffled all the while I’m sure trying to see if Boston would come back in or someone closer to his home or anyone really. Even at his press conference he had to explain that he wasn’t indecisive or unsure about coming here, he just wanted some time to think about the offer (and the team)

Other teams guys almost never play as hard or as well after getting the big deal. They hamstring you from a roster and a payroll point of view and prevent you from getting guys down the road cause they can’t be traded and they cost you a draft choice. Their frequently injured due to age and when surrounded with lots of other guys in the same situation become too comfortable in an organization that tolerates under performance chiefly because it never has any in house competition to drive it.

That’s why Pavano stuck out and none of our guys do. We just have had so many of them through the years.

Spend the big FA bucks on starting pitchers. They can’t hide and they operate more independently anyway. Get your position players through the draft IFA and trades and keep them in the 24-31 age bracket where they combine their best hitting, fielding, baserunning, and defense and allow for roster flexibility.

I am really concerned that he never does amount to anything good for the Mets, but we are still stuck with him clogging up left field for at least 2 more years after this season.

the players are used to tuning out all kinds of background noise and distractions, and just playing ball.

also, since very early in ST (even before it started), there really has been very little press on the issue (certainly not much new or earth shattering). And considering it probably will be after the end of the season before any trial even starts, not much impact to this years team.

and if they are having a fire sale in July? Well, the players will deal with that then, but it isn’t going to be something they focus on now.

Now regarding his swing, to be quite frank with everyone here, I could careless if Jason hit sa dozen homeruns or not. I would be happy, check that, thrilled if he was hitting .350 by way of doubles and singles, getting on base and driving in runs.

Remember, we play in a park built for speed and contact, NOT power. Doubles are just as important as homeruns when runners are on base. I much rather see him swing for contact and generate a much higher batting average, then try to swing for the fences with a lower batting average and higher strike out/fly ball out percentage.

Homeruns are a double edge sword in that they screw with the minds of players thinking productivity = # of homeruns hit. Driving in that runner on second with a double in the gap, to me is more important than trying to club one out of the park, only to fly out to center field.

Rib cage injuries can be pretty awful, especially if it was a bad strain, Heaven forbid, tear. That could sideline him for a good six weeks.

I do share your concerns with Bay, but I have to hope it was a fluke bound up with the pressures of performing as an NY baseball man. He did play a very good left field–at least.

While all Mets fans want and expect him to be a power bat, I would be happy with a Bay who has diminished power but an average of at least .275.

This year will prove whether or not Bay is another of the great Minaya busts. In Minaya’s defense, however, few people would question whether it was worth signing Bay to a multi-year deal. Dollars are another matter, but pretty unlikely any team was going to get one of the premiere free agents at that time for a cheaper price.

Also, Tim McCarver is writing about selling the Mets in the Daily News – says that the Mets should be sold and a clean slate begun. Says conversations and news articles will remind team every day about this issue which is not good when they should be concentrating on their game both at home and out of town.