With no decision from Bay, Mets adjust offer

According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Mets have tweaked the offer to Jason Bay.

“Minaya is thought to have offered a five-year deal (at slightly lower dollars per year than the original four-year offer for close to $65 million), but with Bay still believed to be seeking a six-year deal from them,” Heyman writes.

The deal for Bay might have to be worth $75 million over five years.

With Bay now looking like less of a bargain, the Mets might rethink getting in on the Matt Holliday discussion, according to Heyman.

(It should be noted, as it is very much so on Twitter, that Heyman and Holliday’s agent, Mr. Scott Boras, are quite close.  This could be an inside job to create a bigger market for Holliday.  No one else is reporting that the Mets are in talks with Boras for Holliday.)

Buster Olney of ESPN writes that the Mets are “monitoring the Matt Holliday negotiations, but are not actively involved.”

Twitter Poll: Do you support the Jason Bay offer?

With the Mets extending a four-year, $65 million offer to Jason Bay yesterday, Mets fans are seemingly split on the matter.  Do you support this move or no?

I took to Twitter and asked that very question.  Here are the responses…

djshort: Only if it's four years or less.

joewhitmarsh: Yes.

DanReilly11: I'd prefer Holliday or Lackey, but I'm fine with Bay at 4 years.

kramtelak: Mets need an OF with power period Bay Holliday whoever If it takes 65-70 then that's what it takes. Do we want to win Jeff?

dances_w_vowels: I support the offer, Bay would be a good offensive addition, but I can't see him putting up .280/35/110 in Citi.

cutiepie0319k: i like it. at this point i just want someone new that can hit and can make a difference.

With Matt Holliday still on the market, where do you stand?

Sherman: Mets targeting Willingham and Rivera [Winter Meetings]

With Jason Bay and Matt Holliday on the free-agent market and fairly free to set their own demands, the Mets may look to trade for a player to fill their hole in leftfield.

Josh Willingham from the Nationals and Juan Rivera from the Angels are two players they have interest in, according to Joel Sherman.

River has two years left on his contract, worth a combined $9.5 million.  Willingham is still under control by the Nationals, and earned $2.95 million last season.  He is a free agent following the 2011 season.

I think the Mets should take a look at both of these players, though I prefer dipping into the free-agent class first.  Both would be decent additions to the club.

I like Rivera.

Link: Part III of blogger roundtable

Head over to NJ.com to read Part III of the Mets blogger roundtable.

Today we answered, “If the Mets spend big on one free agent this winter -- and, obviously, there are only three high-priced options here: Matt Holliday, John Lackey or Jason Bay -- who do you think it should be and why?”

Click here to read Greg and Jason’s answers from Faith and Fear in Flushing, Eric’s from Amazin’ Avenue and mine from here.

Matt Holliday will use the Mets to make more money elsewhere

The Mets brass met with Scott Boras last night.  Matt Holliday, of course, was the topic of choice, according to many reports.

But it’s just a tease.

Boras, Holliday’s agent, believes that he deserves “Mark Teixeira money.”  Teixeira signed a 8 year / $180 million contract with the Yankees in 2008.

With the Mets in the current predicament that they’re in (reeling after three disappointing years), they are the perfect candidate for an agent like Boras to help springboard his client into the higher pay bracket.

Boras will meet with the Mets and we will hear of numbers and contract deals.  Boras will turn around to the other teams and use these numbers to help drive up the price of Holliday.

Sure, the Mets might be able to swing a deal for Holliday as their leftfielder for the next few years, but I don’t count on it.

Link: Rubin chock full of info

Adam Rubin’s latest blog post is teeming with info from day one of the GM Meetings in Chicago.

In brief…

• Matt Holliday and Jason Bay are likely too expensive.
• Mike Cameron is a longshot.
• The Mets really want to trade Luis Castillo.
• The free agent catching market is terrible.
• The Mets want to re-sign Alex Cora.
• Tim Redding and Jeremy Reed will probably be non-tendered.
• Johan Santana and Jose Reyes are healing.  Santana will pitch on his normal winter schedule, while Reyes is now walking sans-crutches.

For more, head over to Rubin’s blog.

MLBTR pegs Holliday, Wolf and Penny for the Mets

In his “2010 Top 50 Free Agents” post, Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors goes through his personal top 50 free agents from the off-season.  He then posts where he thinks the player will land.

Dierkes tabbed No. 1 free agent Matt Holliday as a future-Met.  He also pegged No. 5 Randy Wolf and No. 25 Brad Penny as possibly Flushing-bound.

There are a bunch of other names mentioned as possible interests to the Mets, but those are the only ones that Dierkes had definitely coming the Mets way.

I do think the Mets will be big players for Holliday.  They might have to overpay, but this seems like an Omar Minaya-type addition.  Big bat, decent glove and a big splash.

Wolf, I wouldn’t mind.  He’s not the perfect Band Aid for the Mets starting rotation (more like some duct tape and a prayer), but he’d fill a hole.

And a big “no thanks” to Penny.  Unless he costs only a…nevermind.

Twitter Poll: Holliday or Bay (or neither)?

I took to Twitter to ask that very question.

Which outfielder would Mets fans most want to see patrolling the grass in Citi Field next year (or, if they thought the team would be better off without them, why?).

Here are some responses…

saffir_99 said: Hmm.. Holliday, he could hit and is a better defender than Bay. I still think Minaya makes a huge offer to Johnny Damon.

mattclausen said: i'd love Holliday, but how likely is he to punch balls out of Citi?

jessespector said: I think both would be a nightmare in left field, especially with a question of Beltran's legs. One bat won't fix Mets.

swirlywand said: Bay!

charlieryczek said: Bay. Wouldn't cost as much as Holliday.

cutiepie0319k said: Holliday!

jdemayoNYBD said: please Holliday..

djeffreys said: If it had to be JUST one guy, I'd rather Lackey than either. But out of those two I'd definitely say Holliday

csball2000 said: Neither. I'd rather spend on pitching, pitching and more pitching

The overwhelming majority of fans (and outsiders) would rather see Holliday.  Interesting.

How about you?

Heyman: Mets prefer Holliday

With Jeff Wilpon assuring fans that the Mets will be spending money this off-season, it’s time for the rumor mill of big names to start to spin.

First up: Matt Holliday.

Jon Heyman says that he believes the Mets are leaning toward Holliday over another free-agent-to-be, (and ex-Met farmhand) Jason Bay.

Holliday, who was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals earlier this season, went 1-4 with two strikeouts last night.

He hit .313 / .394 / .515 with 24 home runs and 109 RBI between Oakland and St. Louis in 2009.

Matt Holliday traded to Oakland

According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Oakland A's are set to acquire Matt Holliday from the Colorado Rockies.

That's right everyone, the prospect loving Billy Beane just traded for a big bat.

For Mets fans, this is great news, as the Phillies were rumored to be in on landing Holliday for their left field vacancy. I couldn't imagine replacing Pat Burrell with Holliday, so a big thank you goes out to Beane for pulling this one off.

Names that are heading to Colorado are still filtering in, but right now Heyman is reporting that outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, and pitchers Greg Smith and Huston Street may be in on the deal. This would also affect the Mets, as it was being said that Street could be had, possibly by the Mets for the back end of their bullpen.

Street, if he's in on the deal, would replace Brian Fuentes as closer. Fuentes, a free agent, is another name the Mets have been linked to as well.

Big trade by Beane, and a very surprising one if you follow baseball at all.

Not taking a Holliday

Matt Holliday is rumored to be available (again), so do the Mets take a look at this power-hitting left fielder? I say no.

My main reason to say "No" to Holliday is his home / away splits. He's lucky enough to play in Coors Field in Colorado, a place where the ball takes off, no matter what Major League Baseball does to try and counteract the thin air.

This took me all of 14 seconds to look up, and I hope Omar Minaya does the same before he considers trading for Holliday, who is entering the last year of his contract.

	Games	AB	Hits	Runs	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Home	359	1,353	483	285	106	84	307	129	230	.357	.423	.645	1.068
Away	339	1,303	365	194	82	44	176	122	275	.280	.348	.455	.803

Too much disparity there for me.

He's playing in a stadium that greatly favors the hitter, and it shows. In only 20 less games away from Coors, he has nearly half as many home runs. His RBI's are almost in half as well.

His average drops nearly 80 points, as does his on-base percentage. Slugging is a completely different story, as it drops nearly 200 points.

Still, I'll return to my old mainstay: If you can get him for cheap, then go get him. If not, just walk away.