1. An NL executive and an agent told me the Yankees were talking regularly to the representatives for Reed Johnson. I can see the Yankee reasoning. As currently constituted, the Yanks have lefty-swingers Brett Gardner in left field and Curtis Granderson in center. Johnson can play all three outfield positions, and has long been a strong hitter against lefties. In 2009 against lefties, Johnson hit .324 with a .403 on-base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage; and for his career the numbers are .313/.378/.463.
I still believe that the Yankees should go for Xavier Nady if Nady’s elbow tests fine after a second Tommy John surgery. Nady’s right-center power would be ideal at Yankee Stadium. And I imagine that Nady could be had for a low base with plenty of incentives based on games played.
Now there are two bits of Yankee history here. In the recent past, the Yanks have talked about going with Bubba Crosby in center or Cabrera/Gardner in center, and ended up with Johnny Damon and then Granderson. So it is possible that they will try to get a more established player even if it is Nady.
But I do believe that – at the moment – the Yanks are emphasizing staying under $200 million for a payroll and being strong on defense; and they feel that Gardner – perhaps with Johnson or Rule 5 pick Jamie Hoffman as a righty caddy – would be one of the best defensive left fielders in the sport. And that other part of Yankee history is that during the Joe Torre dynasty they never really had a steady left fielder with hardly stars such as Chad Curtis, Rickey Ledee and Shane Spencer all being regulars at some point during championship seasons. In other words, you don’t need an All-Star everywhere.
2. I believed that this was a marketplace to be patient for teams, particularly the Mets. But I also thought the Mets should not have been big-game hunting anyway. I have felt the team was beholden to the core they already have, namely that Jose Reyes, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Johan Santana and Francisco Rodriguez get healthy and productive. If they do the Mets should be – at the least – wild-card contenders, especially if they did a good job of augmenting around that core this winter.
I did not like the Mets’ call for power, feeling that they should play more like the 1987 Cardinals with pitching and defense. But if they were going to emphasize getting the ball out of the park then I would have made low-risk, high-reward, one-year offers to Troy Glaus to play first base and Jack Cust to play left – two defensively suspect players, but two guys who – if right – could hit the ball out of any park, including Citi Field. My thought was if all goes right you are better and, if not, you are only committed for one year and can play in a better free-agent market next offseason.
Glaus, of course, has now signed with the Braves.
Anyway, I never would have gone after Jason Bay. But at this point, if you do go after Jason Bay, as the Mets have, at some point you have to get your dignity back. This is not like last year when the Yankees made an offer to CC Sabathia, who had hesitancy about coming to New York and sat on an offer for quite a while before agreeing to come. Sabathia had been the Yankees’ obsession for more than a year, all of their plans based on him coming. Bay is not that to the Mets.
He is a very good player. But one that I suspect will age poorly in a league without a DH to protect that withering. He also clearly has major concerns about playing with the Mets. At this point, if he does sign, it feels like he might do John McCain at the Hanoi Hilton and blink Morse code trying to get him out before he is barely in.
The Mets are losing their dignity – whatever is left of that – waiting around for this type of player. So they need to regain some of that. In other words patience is out. It is time to tell Bay he has 24 hours to accept what is almost certainly the top offer on the market, and if not the Mets need to move on. But this can’t be a bluff. The Mets have to have another move in place whether it is Cust or Johnny Damon or Jermaine Dye or Mark DeRosa. They can’t leave it that Bay could come back three days later and accept the deal or else they will just further the perception they could be pushed around.
I do not believe in this new talk of Red Sox re-interest. I do think that the Red Sox have major concerns about Bay’s long-term health – and if they do, the Mets should, too. This feels like a plant to try and help Bay revive a poor market. Maybe I am wrong. But if I am, who cares. Again, he is not a make-or-break player for the Mets.
This is still New York. The Mets are still a big-market club. And the fact that they are being held hostage by a very good – but not great – player who does not want to be here is ridiculous. It is time to tell Jason Bay, in or out. You might not get Bay that way. But the Mets could get their dignity back.
3. Lastly, I want to wish a happy and healthy holiday and new year to the follower’s of this blog. Your interest has made the blog and my Twitter page very successful, and I thank you greatly for that. I hope this can continue to be a meeting place for those of you who have passion for baseball and, specifically, the New York teams.