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Fun With Bad Contracts: The Money Involved in the Rumored Jason Bay Trade
Rumors were swirling late last week that the Marlins and Mets were throwing around the possibility of a change-of-scenery trade between the teams. The rumored trade would send outfielder Jason Bay to Miami for catcher John Buck and reliever Heath Bell. This is is the final part of the series, examining the financial aspect.
While cases can be made both for and against the Jason Bay trade, this post is mostly going to focus on how awful each of the three players have been during their respective contracts. First, here are each player’s contracts.
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Jason Bay
Initial Contract: 4 yr/$66 million deal signed in 2010, with year four (2014) being a vesting option, or requiring a $3 million buyout.
Remaining: $19+ million ($16 million next year, $3 million buyout, remaining salary this year).
Heath Bell
Initial Contract: 3 yr/$27 million deal signed in 2011, with a team option for 2015, that could become a vesting option based on performance
Remaining: $21 million+ (two years at $9 million, $3 million in delayed bonus payments, remaining salary this year)
John Buck
Initial Contract: 3 yr/$18 million deal signed in 2010
Remaining: $6+ million ($6 million next year, remaining salary this year)
—
While the Mets would upgrade in two areas after this deal, they’d be taking on an extra $8 million-and-change. The Mets are still a big-market team, but they have made shrewd moves in lieu of giving out big contracts in recent years. The Madoff scandal and subsequent settlement took a decent chunk of change out the Wilpons’ pockets.
One of the reasons the Mets went with Sandy Alderson as their GM was his track record of success with an extremely limited budget in San Diego. Their 2011 opening day payroll decreased by over $40 million in 2012, and Mets ownership sold $240 million in minority stakes to keep control of the franchise.
The Mets are stuck paying Jason Bay regardless. He’s not a nut-case like K-Rod and won’t give the Mets reason to put him on the restricted list. He’s a professional player in the midst of an incredible struggle, taking his demotion to bench warmer with grace. But what kind of production would the Mets rather be paying? All three are ridiculously overpaid for what they actually do.
They could continue paying Jason Bay nearly $300,000 for every hit he gets, or pay John Buck $116,883 for every hit he gets and Heath Bell $201,492 for every out he records. The Mets could decide to continue to pay Bay $26,336 for every strike he takes or swings at, or pay Buck $9,202 for his similar services, while paying Bell $87,947 for every ball he throws.
Either way, they’re stuck paying outrageous money for abysmal performances.
Posted in Bernie Madoff Scandal, Francisco Rodriguez, Fun With Bad Contracts, Heath Bell, Jason Bay, Jason Bay's Contract Is So Big It Requires It's Own Tag, John Buck, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, Random, San Diego Padres, Sandy Alderson
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Fun With Bad Contracts: The Money Involved in the Rumored Jason Bay Trade
Rumors were swirling late last week that the Marlins and Mets were throwing around the possibility of a change-of-scenery trade between the teams. The rumored trade would send outfielder Jason Bay to Miami for catcher John Buck and reliever Heath Bell. This is is the final part of the series, examining the financial aspect.
While cases can be made both for and against the Jason Bay trade, this post is mostly going to focus on how awful each of the three players have been during their respective contracts. First, here are each player’s contracts.
—
Jason Bay
Initial Contract: 4 yr/$66 million deal signed in 2010, with year four (2014) being a vesting option, or requiring a $3 million buyout.
Remaining: $19+ million ($16 million next year, $3 million buyout, remaining salary this year).
Heath Bell
Initial Contract: 3 yr/$27 million deal signed in 2011, with a team option for 2015, that could become a vesting option based on performance
Remaining: $21 million+ (two years at $9 million, $3 million in delayed bonus payments, remaining salary this year)
John Buck
Initial Contract: 3 yr/$18 million deal signed in 2010
Remaining: $6+ million ($6 million next year, remaining salary this year)
—
While the Mets would upgrade in two areas after this deal, they’d be taking on an extra $8 million-and-change. The Mets are still a big-market team, but they have made shrewd moves in lieu of giving out big contracts in recent years. The Madoff scandal and subsequent settlement took a decent chunk of change out the Wilpons’ pockets.
One of the reasons the Mets went with Sandy Alderson as their GM was his track record of success with an extremely limited budget in San Diego. Their 2011 opening day payroll decreased by over $40 million in 2012, and Mets ownership sold $240 million in minority stakes to keep control of the franchise.
The Mets are stuck paying Jason Bay regardless. He’s not a nut-case like K-Rod and won’t give the Mets reason to put him on the restricted list. He’s a professional player in the midst of an incredible struggle, taking his demotion to bench warmer with grace. But what kind of production would the Mets rather be paying? All three are ridiculously overpaid for what they actually do.
They could continue paying Jason Bay nearly $300,000 for every hit he gets, or pay John Buck $116,883 for every hit he gets and Heath Bell $201,492 for every out he records. The Mets could decide to continue to pay Bay $26,336 for every strike he takes or swings at, or pay Buck $9,202 for his similar services, while paying Bell $87,947 for every ball he throws.
Either way, they’re stuck paying outrageous money for abysmal performances.
Posted in Bernie Madoff Scandal, Francisco Rodriguez, Fun With Bad Contracts, Heath Bell, Jason Bay, Jason Bay's Contract Is So Big It Requires It's Own Tag, John Buck, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, Random, San Diego Padres, Sandy Alderson
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Counterpoint: The Rumored Jason Bay Trade Would Create A Worse Situation
Rumors were swirling late last week that the Marlins and Mets were throwing around the possibility of a change-of-scenery trade between the teams. The rumored trade would send outfielder Jason Bay to Miami for catcher John Buck and reliever Heath Bell. This is is the second part in a series, opposing the trade.
Obviously, I’m not Jason Bay’s biggest fan, but I’d rather keep him then get back Buck and Bell.
Yes, there are the pros I listed the other days, and developing Valdespin would be nice, but what’s stopping the Mets from doing that without trading Bay? Just because Bay is making more than 20 times Valdespin is making doesn’t mean Bay should get 20 times the starts.
The Mets can’t try to justify the Bay contract anymore and they’re just starting to realize that.They made another huge mistake and it’s going to hurt the team in the upcoming year, but they can deal with it. They don’t need to take on an extra $9 million in 2014, with another possible $9 million due in 2015 based on Bell’s performance.
While Buck would be a nice complement to Thole behind the plate, neither are really cornerstone players, and Buck is certainly not worth his $6 million contract next year.
But the biggest issue in this trade would be bringing Bell back to New York. Not only was Bell flat-out awful in his three-year stint with New York (4.92 ERA over 108 IP), but he harbors hatred towards the Mets franchise.
He was a fan-favorite, kind of like a Rick Reed of the ’90s, or a Mike Baxter of today. Not a superstar, but a cult hero for fans. Bell went out of his way to please Mets fans, developing his sprint from the bullpen in Flushing, and always willing to stay late to sign autographs.
Omar Minaya and the Mets’ brass at the time returned Bell’s dedication to the team by sending him between AAA and the majors multiple times in his stints. He was left of the postseason roster and given away in a trade to the Padres for journey Rob Johnson. He’s harbored ill-will towards the Mets ever since, and was delighted when he got the first save in Citi Field history.
He’s been vocal about his displeasure with the organization and the change-of-scenery this trade would give Heath Bell may reduce his performance even more. A toxic situation when the franchise is a year away from contention would set the Mets back more than Jason Bay already has. It’s a good deal on paper, but the Mets can’t make this trade.
Posted in Counterpoint, Heath Bell, Jason Bay, Jason Bay's Contract Is So Big It Requires It's Own Tag, John Buck, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, Omar Minaya, Point, Rob "Generic Journeyman" Johnson, San Diego Padres
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Counterpoint: The Rumored Jason Bay Trade Would Create A Worse Situation
Rumors were swirling late last week that the Marlins and Mets were throwing around the possibility of a change-of-scenery trade between the teams. The rumored trade would send outfielder Jason Bay to Miami for catcher John Buck and reliever Heath Bell. This is is the second part in a series, opposing the trade.
Obviously, I’m not Jason Bay’s biggest fan, but I’d rather keep him then get back Buck and Bell.
Yes, there are the pros I listed the other days, and developing Valdespin would be nice, but what’s stopping the Mets from doing that without trading Bay? Just because Bay is making more than 20 times Valdespin is making doesn’t mean Bay should get 20 times the starts.
The Mets can’t try to justify the Bay contract anymore and they’re just starting to realize that.They made another huge mistake and it’s going to hurt the team in the upcoming year, but they can deal with it. They don’t need to take on an extra $9 million in 2014, with another possible $9 million due in 2015 based on Bell’s performance.
While Buck would be a nice complement to Thole behind the plate, neither are really cornerstone players, and Buck is certainly not worth his $6 million contract next year.
But the biggest issue in this trade would be bringing Bell back to New York. Not only was Bell flat-out awful in his three-year stint with New York (4.92 ERA over 108 IP), but he harbors hatred towards the Mets franchise.
He was a fan-favorite, kind of like a Rick Reed of the ’90s, or a Mike Baxter of today. Not a superstar, but a cult hero for fans. Bell went out of his way to please Mets fans, developing his sprint from the bullpen in Flushing, and always willing to stay late to sign autographs.
Omar Minaya and the Mets’ brass at the time returned Bell’s dedication to the team by sending him between AAA and the majors multiple times in his stints. He was left of the postseason roster and given away in a trade to the Padres for journey Rob Johnson. He’s harbored ill-will towards the Mets ever since, and was delighted when he got the first save in Citi Field history.
He’s been vocal about his displeasure with the organization and the change-of-scenery this trade would give Heath Bell may reduce his performance even more. A toxic situation when the franchise is a year away from contention would set the Mets back more than Jason Bay already has. It’s a good deal on paper, but the Mets can’t make this trade.
Posted in Counterpoint, Heath Bell, Jason Bay, Jason Bay's Contract Is So Big It Requires It's Own Tag, John Buck, Miami Marlins, New York Mets, Omar Minaya, Point, Rob "Generic Journeyman" Johnson, San Diego Padres
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Point: The Rumored Jason Bay Trade Would Be a Godsend.
Rumors were swirling late last week that the Marlins and Mets were throwing around the possibility of a change-of-scenery trade between the teams. The rumored trade would send outfielder Jason Bay to Miami for catcher John Buck and reliever Heath Bell. This is is the first part in a series, supporting the trade.
The Mets have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rid themselves of one of their historically bad contracts and have to pull the trigger. They never had a chance to dump Oliver Perez, and Bobby Bonilla is still on the books for another 23 years, but they can fix the Jason Bay problem.
Bay has been so incredibly bad for the Mets, that there are talks of just flat out releasing him. His career slash line for the Mets is a paltry .238/.324/.372, and he’s owed $32 million over the next two years with a vesting option.
Moving Bay would allow a opportunity for Jordany Valdespin to play everyday, and give him a chance to develop into a more patient hitter. When a guy only gets an occasional start or one at bat off the bench, of course he’ll try to swing at anything. Valdespin has struck out 25 times, while walking only three times. Those kind of K:BB ratios are only rewarded if you have Adam Dunn power, and Valdespin does not. However, giving him more at bats to develop plate discipline is one of the many reasons why the Mets should make this trade in a heartbeat.
Another is adding a power-hitting, right-handed catcher to complement Josh Thole. While Buck is being overpaid in his contract, he unquestionably has some pop. In 2010, Buck slugged 20 HRs for the Royals, and still had 16 last year for Miami. He’s infinitely more valuable than Rob Johnson or Mike Nickeas, and on days Thole starts, will provide a decent right-handed bat off the bench.
Finally, adding Bell would shore up the Mets’ achilles-heel: the bullpen. While he has struggled this year, he gives the Mets a proven, shutdown closer. Frank Francisco is not that guy anymore, Jon Rauch was never that guy, and Bobby Parnell wouldn’t have to be that guy.
An opportunity to develop Valdespin, and add two valuable, albeit overpriced pieces for essentially the same money they would be paying Jason Bay to hopelessly roam the outfield next year. Sandy Alderson has to make this deal–yesterday, if he can.
Posted in Bobby Bonilla, Bobby Bonilla's Contract Actually Requires 25 Tags But I'll Stop At Three, Bobby Bonilla's contract is worse than Jason Bay's, Counterpoint, Heath Bell, Jason Bay, Jason Bay's Contract Is So Big It Requires It's Own Tag, John Buck, Jordany Valdespin, Josh Thole, Miami Marlins, Mike Nickeas, New York Mets, Point, Rob Johnson, Sandy Alderson
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