Report: Red Sox Break Off Contract Talks With Jason Bay

ESPN is reporting that the Boston Red Sox attempts to extend the contract of left fielder Jason Bay have stalled, and the team is backing away from the negotiating table.

Now what?

Last year, when the contract situation of Manny Ramirez became one of the ugliest situations between a team and a star player in recent memory, the team traded him in a blockbuster deal that brought in Bay from Pittsburgh.

Now, with Bay's contract expiring after 2009, the team faces the same situation this coming season.

I will go out on a limb and assume Bay won't quit on the BoSox like Ramirez did. What Ramirez did before his trade last year was embarrassing, and Bay has done nothing in his career to suggest he will handle his contract year in anything short of a professional manner.

In 49 regular season games with Boston last year, Bay hit .293 with nine home runs and 37 runs batted in. During their run to the World Series, Bay batted .341 with three home runs and nine runs batted in over 11 games for the Sox.