After a quiet series of winter meetings and an eerily nondescript Christmas, the New York Mets finally took the plunge on Tuesday with their acquisition of Jason Bay.
While specific details remain unconfirmed by the Mets' hierarchy, ESPN is reporting a guaranteed four-year, $66 million deal with a vesting option for a fifth year in 2014.
MLB.com is also reporting the news, citing unspecified sources which indicate the move will go through, pending a physical examination, in the New Year.
The deal was originally announced by WFAN's Mike Francesca and appears to be very similar to the $65 million offer revealed by the New York Times more than a fortnight ago.
Sports Illustrated has announced the news as a done deal .
I would also like to give a shoutout to Bleacher Report's Michael Cohen who first tipped me off on this news. You can read his breaking news article here .
So what does this mean for the Mets?
Importantly, it puts a stop to the merry-go-round that was a not-so-memorable highlight in New York in 2009.
Twelve different people patrolled the outfield in total, with eight of them taking a stab at the revolving door that became left field.
Earning on average $16 million between 2010 and 2013, Bay will be the Mets' third-highest player at the start of the season behind Johan Santana ($21 million) and Carlos Beltran ($20-plus million).
The 31-year-old's presence will give the Mets an improved outfield alongside Beltran in center field and Jeff Francoeur in right. He has a decent arm and good, if not great, range. Beltran will likely make him look better defensively than he actually is.
Bay fits the stereotypical power hitter bill with a high amount of walks and so-so contact rates. His home run totals will take a drop in pitcher-friendly Citi Field, but 25 home runs and a .270 batting average is not too much of a reach.
Bay's arrival means that Angel Pagan will become the fourth-choice outfielder and that Fernando Martinez would more than likely go into spring training as a Triple-A option.
Nick Evans will also see his playing time severely slashed, although his eligibility at first base could be enough to earn him a spot deep on Jerry Manuel's bench.
Daniel Murphy was the Mets' opening day choice but he ended up getting the lion's share of his at-bats at first base when Carlos Delgado went down for the year in May.
Gary Sheffield saw 44 games from left field during the middle months of the season, although Martinez, Evans, and Fernando Tatis all saw extended time there before July had come to an end.
Cory Sullivan—who filed for free agency this month—saw the majority of his at-bats in August and September, but his woes against left-handed pitching limited his worth, which left just Pagan to play the final two meaningless weeks of the season in left field once Beltran was back in the everyday lineup in mid-September.
Assuming Delgado does not return for 2010, Bay fills a nice hole as either a cleanup hitter behind David Wright or as a No. 5 hitter behind Beltran.
He batted everywhere from second to sixth with Boston, so expect some stability in the meat of the Mets' lineup as long as the core of the squad stays healthy.
If he does bat behind Beltran and ahead of Francoeur, it will give the Mets a pair of switch hitters (Reyes and Beltran), three right-handed hitters (Wright, Bay, and Francoeur), and a left-handed bat (Murphy) in their one-through-six spots.
With Bay being equally dangerous against both righty and southpaw pitching, the Mets may actually have a strong middle-of-the-order team.
A lot will depend on where Luis Castillo fits in the Mets' plans.
If he stays in New York he will likely bat second, giving New York two switch-hitting table setters at the top of the lineup and bumping Murphy down to the six spot.
Francoeur could then bat seventh, with the catcher—whichever one of their five they decide to start with—batting eighth.
There are of course still holes with the Mets...their rotation is not good enough, their bullpen—even with Kelvim Escobar—is patchy, and the lack of depth remains crippling.
The deal to bring Bay to Citi Field should be applauded, but it does not guarantee anything for the Mets in 2010.
As last year showed more than adequately, they remain just a couple of big injuries away from being completely out of contention.
For now though, let's enjoy the fact that things are headed in the right direction. Spring training is only 57 days away, and the Mets are better today than at any other point this winter.
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