Jason Bay agrees to sign with Mets

The New York Mets got their man. Well, one of them anyway. Free agent left fielder Jason Bay has agreed to sign a four year contract with the Mets. The contract would be worth about $66 million and has a vesting option for a fifth year. WFAN’s Mike Francesa was the first to report this deal.

The left fielder came up to the majors with the Padres in 2003 before being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates and spending parts of six seasons with them. In 2008 he was traded to the Boston Red Sox and was with them last season. Now he brings his right handed power bat to Queens.

The Mets made it known they were going to pursue Bay at the start of free agency. The team felt they needed a power bat to plug in the middle of the lineup. The 36 home runs and 119 RBI’s Bay hit last season for the Red Sox were career highs.

Bay will likely hit somewhere in the 3-5 spots for the Mets. He should provide some of the power this team was lacking last season when they moved to Citi Field. Bay is also a guy that generally stays healthy and comes to play. He has played in at least 145 games the past five seasons.

One knack against Bay is that he is not a very good outfielder and he strikes out a lot. He did strick out 162 times last year and bat just .267. Power hitters do that however, and thats what the Mets brought him in here to do. They will expect him to hit for power and play an adequate outfield.

All in all, I think this is a good signing for the Mets. They still have a few more holes to fill but this is a good start.