Jason Bay is “moving on" from the Red Sox.

Outfielder Jason Bay hit 36 homers and drove in 119 runs, both highs on the Boston Red Sox. He fit in, played the Green Monster well defensively and, though he struck out too much and hit .267, he was very dependable and a valuable asset.

The Red Sox said the impending free-agent was their top priority entering the offseason, but they evidently haven’t given him the attention or respect he feels he deserves. Their front office offered a four-year deal in the $60-65 million range, but he laughed that off, rejecting the contract offer, asking for five years and $18 million annually. Would the Red Sox ante up and grant the 31-year old’s wishes? No.

They made a similar offer, hoping Bay would lower his asking price to rejoin the organization. He rejected it and, in the words of his agent, Joe Urbon, is “moving on” from the Boston Red Sox . Why? “We don’t agree with their evaluation of the player,” Urbon said. “Frankly, we have other offers on the table that are of greater interest to Jason.”

Boston blew it. Sure it may be unwise to sign a player of Bay’s age until he’s 37, but he’s Jason Bay, a player that can hit 35-plus home-runs and drive in 100-plus runs for at least four more years.

Now they will target the younger Matt Holliday , a 29-year old with tremendous power. He’s very talented, but his statistics have shown he is a National League-style hitter. He played his first five years at high altitude with the Colorado Rockies, and hit .316 with 128 homers. This past season, he played 93 games with the American League’s Oakland Athletics and only batted .280 and hit only 11 homers. Then, he was traded at the deadline to the St. Louis Cardinals. What did he do while there? Bat .352 with 13 homers in 63 games.

He is an intriguing option despite his apparent need for National League pitching. He has power to all fields, gets on-base at an alarming clip, and doesn’t strikeout all that much. But, could he be the player he was in Colorado and St. Louis in Boston? There is a chance, given Fenway Park favors the hitters with the Green Monster and a short-porch in right. He could just as easily turn into J.D. Drew 2.0.

Drew, their current right-fielder, was given a five-year, $70 million contract prior to the 2007 season. After driving in 100 runs in 2006 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he drove in just 64 in his first season with the Red Sox, while playing in only six less games. Drew was a .280 hitter before the signing, and has been a .280 hitter since.

Holliday could morph into a slightly better version of Drew, but he will cost much more than Drew did. The outrageous Scott Boras is his agent, and he compared Holliday to his other client, New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira , who signed a eight-year, $180 million deal last offseason. There is no way Holliday is going to obtain that type of deal, but the Red Sox would still have to overpay to sign him.

The Yankees just won the World Series . They just traded for the speedy and powerful Curtis Granderson . The Red Sox have repeatedly said that they only worry about themselves, only their standing, but I don’t buy it. They have to counter the Yankees, their arch rival, to keep pace.

Because of their inexplicable timidness with Bay, he is leaving town, and is certainly right in doing so. He deserves better than Boston. Now, it may not be the smartest move to sign Holliday to lengthy contract, but it is a must.