JayBay Got Paid, Now What? by Jared Carrabis
Where the Sox go from here


Farewell Jason Bay, we barely knew you.

During this past summer's All Star break, Bay and his agent Joe Urbon turned down a four-year deal worth $60 million from the Boston Red Sox, followed by another rejection at the start of this winter for the same amount. The Red Sox instead searched for an alternate route in their outfield by bringing on board the 37-year-old Mike Cameron for two years and $15.5 million.

On top of that signing, the Red Sox acquired outfielder Jeremy Hermida from the Florida Marlins in the first days of the winter, as their attempt to build outfield depth in the case of Bay signing elsewhere. Well, that is now officially the case, as Bay agreed to a four-year deal worth $66 million with the New York Mets.

Now, before we jump on Bay for leaving Boston for a measly $6 million, the kicker in this deal was undoubtedly the vesting option for a fifth year worth $17 million in 2014 that would bring his deal to a grand total of $80 million. The fifth year was something that Theo Epstein and his baseball operations department were not willing to commit to Bay, as he has a history of shoulder and knee problems.

In his relief of Manny Ramirez, Bay hit .274 with 45 HR and 156 RBI in 200 games wearing a Red Sox uniform. He should be applauded for his services to this city in the brief time that he represented Boston. An All Star in his first and only full season with the Red Sox, Bay hit .309 in the postseason with Boston to go along with 3 HR and 9 RBI.

If the Sox are to stand pat, Boston baseball fans will likely see a platoon of Hermida and Cameron in left field in 2010, as it only makes sense to leave Jacoby Ellsbury where he is in center field. As the saying goes; if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

If Bay's physical passes with flying colors, the Red Sox will receive the Mets' second round (50th overall) draft pick as compensation for Bay's Type A free agent status.

As far as Bay's future is concerned, the Mets were a no-brainer. You get the fifth year that you wanted, and now that you're playing in Queens, you get the month of October off to go along with your extra $6 million that you wouldn't have made in Boston. What a country.

So now that Bay has officially made his exit, let's take a look around the diamond, shall we?

We've already established the Hermida/Cameron situation in left with Ellsbury remaining in center. That brings us to right field where you can expect JD Drew to be patrolling the tricky corner at Fenway Park, but no longer as the highest paid player on the squad.

That title now belongs to the Red Sox's newest free agent prize, John Lackey. The Red Sox rotation now boasts three front-line starters in Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Lackey, with the former 18-game winner in Daisuke Matsuzaka as your fourth starter. Sounds pretty lethal, doesn't it?

In fact, the 2010 Red Sox will become the first team since the 1946 Yankees to have a pitching rotation that holds three starters who have won a World Series-clinching game (Lackey '02, Beckett '03, Lester '07) and there was no such fluke involved in any of their performances.

In the infield, things get tricky.

The middle infield is set with the signing of Marco Scutaro to a two-year deal to become the newest shortstop for the Boston Red Sox and, of course, you have the former American League MVP Dustin Pedroia as a staple at second base, but the corner positions is where question marks are certainly to be raised.

On Wednesday, Mike Lowell's surgery on his thumb was deemed a success. While fishing around with the knife, doctors unveiled what was a 95-percent tear in the radial collateral ligament of the third baseman's thumb, which ultimately shot down his potential trade to the Texas Rangers, for now.

It will take six to eight weeks for his surgically repaired thumb to fully heal, but once it does, expect the Red Sox to once again explore options for a new home for Lowell. If they tried to deal him once and were willing to eat $9 million of the $12 million owed to him in 2010, that sticks out as a red flag that this team will do anything it takes to deal Lowell before the start of the season.

Don't be surprised if the Red Sox revisit a trade proposal to the Rangers once again for minor league catcher Max Ramirez, as it seems Boston was set on bringing him on board, possibly to be used in a deal to acquire a premiere bat.

The name "Adrian Gonzalez" has been thrown around the rumor mills on a daily basis here in Boston, but according to Peter Gammons, don't expect the San Diego Padres to be willing to deal this guy until July 1 at the earliest. Fans need to understand that Gonzalez is the face of the franchise out there in San Diego, and it's going to be a tall task to attempt to sell season tickets to fans without him.

We may be fond of names such as Ryan Westmoreland and Casey Kelly, but if you bust those names out in Padre Nation, expect to hear responses such as, "Who the hell is that?"

If and when the Red Sox deal Lowell, Epstein has his options in terms of who to replace the Gold Glove third baseman with. Boston has been linked to another Gold Glove third baseman by the name of Adrian Beltre and it would make all the sense in the world to bring him on board due to his great defensive prowess and his average offensive ability, but the fact that he is a client of Scott Boras makes all the difference.

With the Mendoza line of the luxury tax in 2010 being set at $170 million, the Red Sox are creeping up fast after their winter spending spree. Although Beltre may not be in the upper echelon of talent with the top names in the game, his agent thinks otherwise.

In the case of Beltre's price tag being too high, there are plenty of other free agent third basemen that can be had at a lower cost. Names like Joe Crede, Melvin Mora, Adam Kennedy and my personal favorite for the position, Miguel Tejada.

Before the Scutaro signing, I was vying for Tejada to come on board as Boston's newest shortstop, but many believe that at his age of 36, his range has declined. That being said, third base could be the perfect fit for him in a winning environment, because despite his age, the man can still flat out rake.

He was second in the National League this past season with 199 hits to bring his average to .313 and his 46 doubles led the NL. At third base, he's an average defender and by no means is a "defensive liability" and his bat being inserted in the fifth or sixth slot of this lineup could be just what the Red Sox need to hold them off until a potential July deal for Gonzalez.

If the scenario arises where the Red Sox deal Lowell, but do not sign a third baseman, your Opening Day third baseman would be Kevin Youkilis with Casey Kotchman getting the start across the diamond at first. A scenario that doesn't exactly have Red Sox fans beaming with confidence.

Finally, the catching position. As we all know, Jason Varitek is no longer the player that we have come to know here in Red Sox Nation. His offense is practically non-existent and his ability to throw out runners has almost become laughable. However, his ability to handle this Red Sox pitching staff is an intangible that is invaluable to this club. The captain will enter the 2010 season for the first time as a backup since he first joined the Red Sox back in 1997.

That leaves Victor Martinez as the full-time starting catcher for the 2010 team. His positional versatility allows players such as Kevin Youkilis and our third baseman to be named later to have days of rest, as Martinez is a great offensive first baseman, as well as a catcher.

All that remains for Red Sox fans is to wait. Wait for the move that we all hope is coming to solidify this team before we load up the trucks and head down to Fort Myers for pitchers and catchers. Could it be Adrian Beltre? Could it be Miguel Tejada? Could Theo actually pull the strings that it takes to bring Adrian Gonzalez to Boston before the season begins?

Stay tuned...

Happy New Year everyone!
-Jared Carrabis

To order Jared's debut book, One Fan's Story: If This Hat Could Talk, click HERE!





Published on December 30, 2009

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