This off-season, we’re looking at the Mets’ history with free agency. The regrettable list includes names like Jed Lowrie, Kaz Matsui, and most recently Óliver Pérez. Taking the runner-up position is an outfielder very worthy of being at the top (or bottom?). And as far as on-field performance is concerned, that’s definitely the case.
Dollar for dollar and game for game, no offseason signing was more disappointing.
Jason Bay became a budding star in Pittsburgh. He had four seasons averaging 28 homers, 94 RBIs, and an OPS+ of 129. He was the Rookie of the Year in 2004 and an All-Star in 2005 and 2006.
Bay moved on to Boston at the ’08 trade deadline, a big market with a demanding fanbase. There, in 2009, he finished seventh in the MVP race, earning another All-Star Game selection, slashing .267/.384/.537, and driving in 119 RBI.
By the end of 2009, he was a free agent garnering strong demand.
After considering the likes of fellow outfielder Matt Holliday, the Mets won the bidding war for Bay at four years and $66 million. Ironically enough, he was signed by Omar Minaya — the general manager who traded the 22nd-round pick to Queens as a young prospect while an Expos executive. Too bad the Mets didn’t keep him, because he instead went on to the Padre organization before finding his way with Pittsburgh.
Bay hit 36 homers during that one full year in Boston. He couldn’t match that in New York — not just for a single season but combined for all three seasons. Why not four? Because the Mets and Bay agreed to part ways before the contract was fulfilled, putting an end to this colossal failure.
The dark cloud that hovered over the Mets in 2009 continued to linger and embraced Bay with open arms. He played in only 95 games, with the biggest setback of that 2010 season coming in a July game in Los Angeles. He crashed into the fence at Dodger Stadium trying to catch a fly ball, suffering a concussion in the process. He wasn’t performing well before the injury, and he certainly wasn’t after. His first year ended at .259/.347/.402 with six homers, 47 RBIs, and 48 runs scored.
Staying on the field, or the inability to do so, was a theme throughout Bay’s career in New York as he wound up playing in just 288 games. In 2011, he managed 509 plate appearances but his OPS+ dipped below league average (97).
If the pressure from fans was impacting the quiet outfielder, it continued to show as he entered his third year. Bay began the 2012 campaign still a starter in left field but his spot was certainly in question given past performance — hard to believe considering he was the starting left fielder for the American League All-Stars three years ago.
Keeping on theme with injuries, Bay fractured a rib on April 23 while diving to make a catch. In the seven games following his return, his overall slash line tanked to .187/.253/.373. Then on June 15, he had another unfortunate collision with a wall and had to deal with yet another concussion. Used primarily as a late-inning defensive replacement for the duration, he finished with 215 plate appearances and an unbearably low OPS+ of 48.
It was another completely lost season. And for the Mets, it was the last season with Bay on the roster.
By November, the two sides mutually chose to terminate the contract a year early. Bay went to Seattle, where he played just one more season and in only 68 games.
There are many stories of players who enjoy great careers both before and after the Mets. That’s not the case with Bay. He’s a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame as well as the mythical Mets Bust Hall of Fame. It’s clear New York was where his career began to nosedive. Unfortunately for the Mets, they had to endure it along with him.
