2009 Met of the Year: Black Bracket voting

Voting ends tomorrow at 10 a.m.

Yesterday’s winner: With 57 percent of the vote, six-seed Carlos Beltran advances to the Final Four.
Beltran and David Wright (1) will face off in the Seaver Division Final Four.

Quotes from the Jason Bay press conference

Jason Bay

• "Thank you to Jeff and Omar and everyone else that made this possible."
• "I'm grateful and honored to be here."
• "I offer a fresh perspective as a little bit of an outsider."
• "The Mets wanted me more."
• "The money's nice, don't get me wrong. ... You still have to make a decision ... New York: It was the perfect fit for everything."
• "Where you come up with Beirut, I don't know."
• "Can somebody ask Omar a question?" (jokingly)
• "I actually never hurt my shoulder. That thing took on a life of it's own. I had surgery in 2003 and it's been great ever since."
• "I can play in the playoffs, I can play in this market."
• "I'm expected to drive in runs. There's a lot of ways to do that."
• "I don't consider myself a home run hitter, I pride myself on trying to drive in runs."

Omar Minaya

• "We ask the fans to be patient."
• "Jason Bay, when it's all said and done, does a lot of fundamental things right."
• "I do anticipate Luis Castillo being our second baseman."
• "2009 is over, 2010, for me, for all of us, we're looking forward to having a great year."

Jeff Wilpon

• "Omar had a plan and wanted to get a power hitting outfielder. We looked at the spray charts and everything."
• "We have to do what's best for the organization long term. ... We had a deal done Christmas Eve."
• "Speed is not going to win this winter."

Jason Bay contract details

Here is the breakdown of Jason Bay’s contract with the Mets. Four years – with a fifth-year vesting option – worth $66 million ($80 million with vesting option).

Signing bonus: $8.5 million.

2010 salary: $6.5 million.

2011 salary: $16 million.

2012 salary: $16 million.

2013 salary: $16 million.

2014 vesting option details: 600 plate appearances in 2013 or 500 plate appearances in both the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

2014 salary: $17 million (or $3 million buyout).

Full no-trade clause.

2009 Met of the Year: White Bracket voting

2. Luis Castillo vs 6. Carlos Beltran

Voting ends at 10 a.m. tomorrow.

Yesterday’s winner: David Wright.
He advances to the Final Four to face the winner of this matchup.

Jason Bay Mets jerseys now available, No. 44

That was fast. 

Jason Bay, No. 44, jerseys are now for sale on Mets.com.

Fans react to Jason Bay signing

Here are some fans reactions on the Jason Bay deal going official…

AndrewLiv: Love it, they needed a power bat, and got the player they wanted for their price.

Jbones72: if they can swing a deal for a good pitcher i'll love it!

alansmodic: From a Pirates fan. I think Mets overpaid. After a year and a half, maybe sooner, they'll be wishing he was gone.

GermanMetsFan: hmm like the upgrade of the offense and that something got done finally, not sure if i like the 5yrs

DWrightGuy5: JayBay's signing shows Omar is actually good at playing chicken. Bengie ran scared to his mommy since he's losing his battle.

cutiepie0319k: i like the signing of jason bay. i know it's not going to fix their problems but they are finally making moves.

mtmcq: They needed a bat, and they went out and got a bat. They also didn't break the bank by signing Holliday. I like it.

michealnichols: Good deal for the first two years. My concern lies in years 3, 4 & 5 where I think holliday will be better.

kerelcoop: good signing but ultimately he won't be the difference maker in the success of this team. They still need pitching.

DonCheech: I am happy with it. Got a legitimate middle of the order bat

DanPirozzi: i'm not a huge fan of it, but it's better to do this than nothing at all which is what it seemed like

What are your thoughts on the signing?  Hit the comments to discuss.

SNY: Bay passed physical, to be announced tomorrow

Jason Bay is now officially a New York Met.  Four years, $66 million – with a fifth-year vesting option.

Your thoughts?

Bay to take physical today

Jason Bay and the Mets have one obstacle between getting ink onto the dotted line: His physical.

Today, Bay will be checked out by Mets doctors and medical staff to see if he’s healthy and if the Mets still want to pay him $66 million over four years.

As I alluded to, and has been mentioned a few times since, this is no slam dunk.  Bay hasn’t really missed a lot of time due to injuries (at least 145 games each year since ‘05), but he’s on the wrong side of 30 and has shown some wear and tear over the years.

His knees and possibly his arm/shoulder could be points of contention.

In the end, I think Bay will pass the physical.  If the Mets do happen to find anything, the contract might be adjusted slightly, but not by much.

The press conference announcing the signing and showing him off for the media and fans, if all goes according to plan, will be tomorrow.

2009 Met of the Year: Elite 8 & Orange Bracket voting

Here is the updated bracket for the 2009 Met of the Year (click to see bigger)…And below is today’s vote… (Results will now be hidden to the voters and revealed the next day)

1. David Wright vs 3. Jeff Francoeur

The poll closes at 10 a.m. on 1/5/10.

Link: Mets used ‘shady firms’ to build Citi Field

NY Post: Met ‘mob’ contracts

The Mets shelled out $51.6 million in taxpayer money to contractors shunned by the city for their ties to the Mafia, labor corruption or bribery, The Post has learned.

Well then.