Reason Mets Offer Contract to Jason Bay

Are the Mets building a team that will be a serious contender in 2011? That may very well be the case. If they wanted to contend in 2010 they would have offered John Lackey a contract instead of Jason Bay (although contending in this case means a second place finish in the division). Either one of these guys only makes the Mets marginally better but the thinking would be to get a left fielder while there are an abundance of them on the market and two of them happen to be really good. John Lackey leads this year’s free agent pitching crop but there is a drop in talent after him. Next year’s free agent pitching class is much deeper and includes Josh Beckett, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Brandon Webb, and Ted Lilly to name a few.    

The Mets have too many holes and Omar Minaya can’t fix this team in one offseason. They can’t sign the top three free agents for a quick fix like the Yankees did last year. There’s no way they can fill all of their holes during one free agency period. The topic of how much money the Mets spend and have the ability to spend is a different issue. Scott Boras recently called the Mets “cheap”, but they have the highest payroll in the NL. That’s hardly being cheap.

The Mets have to upgrade at one or two positions this winter to appease their fans and dare I say, “rebuild” their offense. If they sign Bay, catcher Bengie Molina, and a middle of the rotation guy, that should be enough to sell some tickets. If there’s money left over maybe the sign a guy like Nick Johnson at first base. Those moves will say to fans, “Look, we’re trying.” Well “we’re trying” isn’t going to please all Met fans but for the most part, it should do.

Their offense, which was so bad in 2009 due to injuries, has to get in shape. It won’t be easy trying to power their way through the NL East, especially when Citi Field isn’t a home run hitters best friend, but adding Bay’s bat to the lineup helps. A second or even a third place finish (I know Met fans don’t want to hear that) may be good enough to attract free agent pitchers from the 2011 class as long as their offense has a great year. They’ll have pitchers thinking, “Hey, the Mets have a solid offense to give me run support, a pitcher-friendly ballpark, and one of the best aces in the game.” The Mets could become a very attractive team for pitchers.

Omar Minaya’s motto should be; “Build an offense in 2010 and get pitching in 2011.” Of course he won’t come out publicly and say that this is what he wants to do, but it’s what he should be doing. Met fans don’t want to hear the word “rebuilding” and the Mets don’t really want to use the word since they are having a hard time filling their new multi-million dollar ballpark. That’s what 2010 will be though, like it or not.

The Mets need tot get a solid offense together and use that as the focal point in persuading 2011 free agent pitchers to sign. Jason Bay is a start. No matter what free agents they sign this winter, the team doesn’t automatically become contenders. “Build an offense in 2010 and get pitching in 2011.” Maybe that motto is hanging on a bulletin board in Minaya’s office somewhere.