Hey Met fans, just wanted to remind you that your starting rotation after Johan Santana looks like this:


Bay it ain't so!

Kelvim Escobar
Mike Pelfrey
John Maine
Oliver Perez

Enjoy Jason Bay!

In case you haven't heard, the New York Metropolitans, in an attempt to get some more butts into Citi Field next season, have signed Jason Bay, formerly of the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates. He's going to get $66 million over four years, which includes a fifth year option with easily attainable incentives.

I texted co-writer Conor and he was very, very happy about the Bay signing. And to be sure, if my Rockies had nabbed him, I would've done a somersault or nine. 

But don't kid yourselves, Met fans. Jason Bay is NOT going to be the difference from last season that vaults the Mets into the postseason. If the Mets make the playoffs or beyond next season with the current group of players, it'll be because of a starting rotation that overachieved or because core position players like Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Jose Reyes and Carlos Delgado stayed healthy and played great for a full season. But it won't be because Jason Bay's .280-.290 average and 30 home runs put them over the top.

Personally, I think the money would've been better spent on John Lackey, who got a comparable contract and would've filled a more obvious need at the top of the starting rotation, or even a group of mid-level pitchers like Randy Wolf and Jason Marquis, along with a position player like Mark DeRosa, would've better helped the team overall by both solidifying the rotation and the field. My main argument is I just don't see Jason Bay as a team-changing player who can turn around a team that struggled mightily in 2009, yet he's getting a hefty chunk of change that could've been used to better improve the team.

Comment away, people.