Jason Bay to New York Mets, but Mets Still Needs Pitching

A few weeks ago, ESPN’s Peter Gammons said Jason Bay would “rather play in Beirut than in New York.” Evidently, he was wrong. Bay signed on with his lone aggressive suitor, the New York Mets, inking a four-year deal worth $66 million with a vesting option that could bring the earnings over $80 million.

The Boston Red Sox “remained in touch with Bay to the end,” according to the Boston Herald’s John Tomase, but his last organization didn’t really want him. So, Bay went to a team that did.

The Mets struggled mightily last season, in large part because of injuries. Many of their best players missed a substantial amount of time due to injury. Centerfielder Carlos Beltran played only 81 games, shortstop Jose Reyes played in 36 games, and first baseman Carlos Delgado played in 26 games—three of their top four offensive players.

All three, and the many others that missed a large portion of the season, will be healthy heading into this next year. Factoring this in, and the signing of Bay, the Mets will have one of the better offenses in the major leagues on paper.

But what they gain on offense, they will lose in the pitching department, unless they sign or trade for a few solid arms.

The free-agent market is very thin pitching-wise. Newsday’s Ken Davidoff hopes they remain financially responsible for the remainder of the offseason. If the Mets do watch their spending, this means they would go “nowhere near” Joel Pineiro, who is as of now the best pitcher available.

The problem is, the Mets can’t afford not to splurge, to sign what’s left. If they don’t, their pitching staff will continue to struggle.

As of now, they have Johan Santana, one of the best pitchers in the game. That’s it. No one beyond him in the rotation can even be considered dependable. Santana led the team with 13 wins. Mike Pelfrey was the only other starting pitcher to reach double-digits in wins, but he had a 5.03 ERA. The team as a whole had a 4.45 ERA, which wasn’t terrible, but certainly not good enough to compete.

Not only do they need pitching, but they need power. Bay can give them that. But Citi Field is a pitcher’s park, which could hinder his home-run production at the friendly confines. His home run total is projected to take a 68 percent hit, factoring in the dimensions of Citi Field, which means he is expected to club 10 homers at home, and finished with 30 on the season.

Thirty, however, would be 18 more than Daniel Murphy hit to lead the Mets last season.

Bay is an excellent hitter, a slightly above-average defender, and a good clubhouse guy. But though he will provide a boost, it will take a lot more to make the Mets a playoff contender again.