| 07 September 2009
Jason Bay won over Red Sox Nation when he replaced a pouting Manny Ramirez in August of 2008 and smashed his way through the month with a .315 BA, 4 ding dongs, 6 doubles , 2 triples and 29 RBI. Then, as if that wasn't good enough, he hit .341 with 3 homers, 3 doubles and 9 RBI in the postseason.
The Red Sox were unable to sign him to an extension this past offseason and Bay and his agent appear ready to see what they can get on the free agent market before they agree to sign with the Sox.
When Bay was hitting .192 in July, it seemed wise to wait things out, but Bay heated up again in August and looks ready to play his best baseball when it matters most... again.
This is why the Theo and the Red Sox NEED to sign Bay this offseason.
Last offseason, John Henry decided that Scott Boras and Mark Teixeira were asking for too much and Tex landed in New York. He was probably going to be a Yankee no matter what, but you can't deny that he has anchored that lineup all season and is a big part of why the Yankees have a 7.5 game lead on the Sox in the East.
Victor Martinez was a surprise addition at the All-Star break and has been what Tex would have been to this offense since coming to Boston, but if Bay walks this winter, we'll be right back where we started - missing that big bat in the middle of the lineup.
Equally concerning is the hole in left field Bay would leave if he signs elsewhere. The Sox don't have anyone in the farm system ready to fill in and even if they did, it's not likely that he would be of the same caliber as Bay. And the 2010 free agent class won't offer much other than Bay himself and Matt Holliday - who will surely come with a large price tag thank to his agent Scott Boras.
Jason Bay is a perfect fit here in Boston. He plays the game right and has proven he can handle the pressure and he's a production machine.
He's almost a lock for 100 runs, 30 HR and 100 RBI each year and with Ellsbury, Pedroia, Martinez and Youkilis win front him for the forseeable future, he could be even better than that. In his first full season with the Sox he already has 31 homers and 98 RBI and that includes a dismal July and 29 games still to come.
Look... Theo hasn't had a lot of success with the free agents. Drew has underpreformed, Lugo was useless and I'm affraid to even say Eric Gagne's name out loud. Ditching Manny, who tallied the same number of RBI (12) in Augsut as Alex Gonazalez, and extending Bay might end up being Theo's greatest move to date.
Okay, trading Nomar in 2004 was his ballsiest and best move, but this if we grab another ring this year, bringing Jason Bay to Boston would definitely be No. 2.
Bottom Line: Manny anchored our l
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