I don’t think Hairston is going anywhere solely because of Bay… so that leaves Torres. This is also why I think they are giving him more playing time than Kirk right now. I think they want to try to build up any market they can for him.

hey, pretty sure Ike wasn’t supposed to platoon either, but that is happening.

Bay has proven to be a LHP only guy. And one of the big questions pre-season (and we had this discussion) was, he would not platoon until there was a LH bat that would force the issue. Well, right now, they have 2 making a strong case that they should be getting those ABs!

Both are similar in that they know HOW to pitch and it’s not just all about velocity and physical properties.

So both can succeed even with a loss of velocity as they know how to set up batters mix up thier stuff and locate.

But we have to understand how quickly having two guys coming off the same surgery could blow up on us!

Considering how our most recent chokes had as much to do with Losing good starters late in the season to injury We really need to pray that they can finish the season without any setbacks to health!

Thats my only concern with Santana’s good results so far and Young’s eventual return.

Yes they will be good but we still don’t know for how long!
And if they both go down in August or September whatever playoff chances we have will blow up with them!

Duda-Kirk-Bay-Hairston-Baxter by the end of the trading season. I think they are gonna dump Torres somewhere, use Hairston to back up Duda/ or cover for Bay if necessary and then use Baxter as they have with pinch hitting and occasional v RHP.

I think Torres’ “future” with the Mets was pretty much washed away when Kirk came up and played how he did.

If as time goes on he only proves valuable v LHP then he still has value to the Mets.

If Jason Bay gets traded it’s because a team thinks NY just messed with him and he’s worth a shot, but I don’t think anybody is doing that until closer to the deadline and by then, who knows where the Mets and Bay will be.

My point is, the only way he does that is to basically only face LHP.

I also don’t think he is ever going to have trade value, unless he is dumped for $.10 on the dollar, and you expect nothing back.

So, no, they do not have to feel obligated to immediately put him out in LF against all pitching. Bring him back slowly, against LHP and maybe a crappy RHP or 2.

I have pretty much written Bay off as useful, so I don’t want to see him in LF vs. RHP doing his customary 0-4 with 2K routine, without getting the ball out of the IF, when there are guys on the bench that can out D him, and actually hit well vs. RHP.

Heck, they are platooning Ike now, and he is a big part of the future, so they sure as shooting can platoon Bay.

Lets say Bay returns on Monday June 4. If you’re the Mets you gotta put him in LF off the injury. Right? I mean we can say we don’t want to, but you know part of this game is a business and they NEED to get something out of Bay.

You also know nobody in MLB is trading for Bay right off an injury. They would need to see something out of him.

So you’re talking a few weeks minimum before you can even talk of dealing Bay.

So by then you have 2 scenarios

Either A) Bay turns it around and becomes too valuable to the Mets to trade away
or
B) Bay continues to hit rock bottom and just gets sent out of town for nothing… but that still leaves the Mets with a questionable LF platoon.

but, his splits are crazy (small sample size at work!)

11 ABs vs. LHP – .273/.438/.818 (OPS = 1.256!)
39 ABs vs. RHP – .231/.268/.359 (OPS = .627). with 1 RBI (ouch)

sadly, the RHP #s look like last year. The LHP #s are obviously a SSS fluke, but even last year he was vastly better vs. LHP.

even the early season #s people keep citing support that. Of course, 56 PAs or so is a tiny sample, but in that he was useless vs. RHP (big surprise), and off the charts good vs. LHP.

I did detail all the #s a few weeks ago, but off the top of my head it was ~ 56 PA (44/12 RH vs. LH pitching). 3 HRs/5 RBIs? But of that, only 1 RBI was vs. RHP (with an OPS in the .600 range), with all his production (and a 1.200 or so OPS) vs. LHP.

his #s last year screamed platoon, and if anything, his early season this year was supporting it even more!

so fine, if he comes back he can be the RH half of a platoon with Baxter (or Kirk, if thye somehow decide to keep running Torres out there too)

You can’t think about Bay’s past, it’s 2012. You have to look at what he can do for this team right now. I’m not suggesting he’s a lock to have a decent year right now.

I’m saying you cannot deal him for a minimum few weeks anyway and by then his value will either hit rock bottom (again) or he’ll turn it around and be too valuable to the Mets to dump his salary.

Second, who plays LF? Hairston everyday? The Mets need a run producer. They need Bay to be that guy. I think Bay actually showed leading up to the injury that he could have a decent year.

I just don’t see what dumping him and picking up his salary at this point does for the Mets to be honest.