Jason Bay hoping for a fresh start in Seattle
SEATTLE (AP) - Jason Bay took a glance at the Seattle Mariners' 40-man roster and suddenly realized how unique he will be.
He's one of only two players on that current roster who was born in the 1970s.
"I don't feel like I'm that old, but I guess I am around here," the 34-year-old Bay said Monday.
While he may not exactly fit the Mariners' model of relying on young prospects to rebuild the franchise, Bay could fill a significant need for Seattle in the 2013 season. He was introduced on Monday after his one-year contract with the Mariners was finalized over the weekend.
Bay said he hopes a fresh start with the Mariners can put three seasons of struggles - mostly due to injuries - with the New York Mets in the past.
"Where ever I ended up was going to be a fresh start and the chance to do it here in my backyard, so to speak, will be nice," said Bay, who grew up in British Columbia and played college ball at Gonzaga. "That's all I was looking for. It didn't work out for whatever reason and it was kind of a mutual split. I want to start fresh and wipe the slate clean and that's what I get to do here."
After signing a $66 million, four-year deal before the 2010 season, the three-time All-Star hit .234 in three injury-plagued seasons with 26 homers and 124 RBIs, including a .165 average with eight homers and 20 RBIs this year. Sidelined by concussions and rib injuries, he played just 288 games for the Mets.
Bay's contract with the Mets was terminated last month. Bay was owed $16 million for next season and a $3 million buyout of a 2014 option, plus the final $2 million installment of his $8.5 million signing bonus was payable by next June. The agreement to terminate his deal allowed the Mets to spread out the payments.
It also made Bay a low-risk, potential high-reward deal for whoever he signed with. An All-Star in 2005, 2006 and 2009, Bay signed with the Mets after hitting .267 in his final season for Boston with career bests of 36 homers and 119 RBIs.
"I got banged up a little bit. Not an excuse, just the reality and that didn't help. I don't think that was the No. 1 reason," Bay said. "I just think I couldn't really get on track. I couldn't just move forward. I was always stuck in one gear and I couldn't get going."
Because of his injury history, the Mariners went to great lengths once an agreement was reached. Bay was examined by two team doctors and a neurosurgeon to make sure he was fully recovered from the concussion problems that lingered during his time with the Mets.
Bay said he's been fully engaged in his offseason workout program for the last six weeks.
"I've gotten great reports on his winter program, what he's doing right now being very prepared for the season," Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik said. "It just feels like the right thing to do."
Bay said he'll take whatever role he can earn with Seattle, even if that means being in a platoon in the outfield. Manager Eric Wedge said if Bay can revert to the form he had in Boston and Pittsburgh, he could be exactly the right-handed bat the Mariners lineup needs.
While Seattle's lineup is heavy on youth and left-handed hitters, Jesus Montero and his .260 average was the only Seattle right-handed hitter who played more than half the season to hit above .230.
"He brings a lot that we just don't have here," Wedge said.
Seattle doesn't expect this to be the end of its search for offense. The Mariners have been linked to discussions with Josh Hamilton and Nick Swisher, among other free agent options. As usual, Zduriencik remained tight-lipped about where things stand.
"We're going through a lot of dialogue," he said. "We have a lot of discussions going with different angles and we'll see where it all ends up at. Right now people are weighing their options and trying to figure out what's best for the client and player, and we're trying to be fairly aggressive."
He's one of only two players on that current roster who was born in the 1970s.
"I don't feel like I'm that old, but I guess I am around here," the 34-year-old Bay said Monday.
While he may not exactly fit the Mariners' model of relying on young prospects to rebuild the franchise, Bay could fill a significant need for Seattle in the 2013 season. He was introduced on Monday after his one-year contract with the Mariners was finalized over the weekend.
Bay said he hopes a fresh start with the Mariners can put three seasons of struggles - mostly due to injuries - with the New York Mets in the past.
"Where ever I ended up was going to be a fresh start and the chance to do it here in my backyard, so to speak, will be nice," said Bay, who grew up in British Columbia and played college ball at Gonzaga. "That's all I was looking for. It didn't work out for whatever reason and it was kind of a mutual split. I want to start fresh and wipe the slate clean and that's what I get to do here."
After signing a $66 million, four-year deal before the 2010 season, the three-time All-Star hit .234 in three injury-plagued seasons with 26 homers and 124 RBIs, including a .165 average with eight homers and 20 RBIs this year. Sidelined by concussions and rib injuries, he played just 288 games for the Mets.
Bay's contract with the Mets was terminated last month. Bay was owed $16 million for next season and a $3 million buyout of a 2014 option, plus the final $2 million installment of his $8.5 million signing bonus was payable by next June. The agreement to terminate his deal allowed the Mets to spread out the payments.
It also made Bay a low-risk, potential high-reward deal for whoever he signed with. An All-Star in 2005, 2006 and 2009, Bay signed with the Mets after hitting .267 in his final season for Boston with career bests of 36 homers and 119 RBIs.
"I got banged up a little bit. Not an excuse, just the reality and that didn't help. I don't think that was the No. 1 reason," Bay said. "I just think I couldn't really get on track. I couldn't just move forward. I was always stuck in one gear and I couldn't get going."
Because of his injury history, the Mariners went to great lengths once an agreement was reached. Bay was examined by two team doctors and a neurosurgeon to make sure he was fully recovered from the concussion problems that lingered during his time with the Mets.
Bay said he's been fully engaged in his offseason workout program for the last six weeks.
"I've gotten great reports on his winter program, what he's doing right now being very prepared for the season," Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik said. "It just feels like the right thing to do."
Bay said he'll take whatever role he can earn with Seattle, even if that means being in a platoon in the outfield. Manager Eric Wedge said if Bay can revert to the form he had in Boston and Pittsburgh, he could be exactly the right-handed bat the Mariners lineup needs.
While Seattle's lineup is heavy on youth and left-handed hitters, Jesus Montero and his .260 average was the only Seattle right-handed hitter who played more than half the season to hit above .230.
"He brings a lot that we just don't have here," Wedge said.
Seattle doesn't expect this to be the end of its search for offense. The Mariners have been linked to discussions with Josh Hamilton and Nick Swisher, among other free agent options. As usual, Zduriencik remained tight-lipped about where things stand.
"We're going through a lot of dialogue," he said. "We have a lot of discussions going with different angles and we'll see where it all ends up at. Right now people are weighing their options and trying to figure out what's best for the client and player, and we're trying to be fairly aggressive."
Jason Bay..Who?
Now that pot is legal in this goofy state, I would expect more signings.
Spot on svensson! It is going to take a rebellion of the fans before Lincoln and his cronies get the point. Wake up management....do you think you are going to get a stimulas package to keep the profits coming in while this team and city suffers? Get some "boys" and sign someone to help the team. This signing of Bay is what the signing of Sexton was....bad! Won't get butts in the seats.....Be a capitalist and lower the parking prices  in your garage, lower the prices of the stuff you call food, and sign some players that are good, not has beens or they are so broken up that they won't last a month without getting hurt.
The Mariners ownership group is content to field a mildly profitable team that contains one, just one, fan-drawing big ticket player and 11 other stiffs. Every time we get a hot prospect, we trade him for a has-been or never-will-be or, even worse, mismanage his development to the point that he's ruined.
Think I'm wrong? Consider Ichiro Suzuki's career here in Mudville. He spent a decade pulling in crowds to watch his team finish no better than .500 and never even get a sniff at the playoffs. And the exact same thing will happen to Felix Hernandez, too. His Cy Young Award all but guarantees it.
And until someone jabs Mariners ownership in the rectum with a cattle prod, that is how it's going to stay. We will remain a AA bus league farm club for the AL East.
So everyone send their condolences to Jason Bay. His career is over as of right now.
 @svensson The problem is most of you guys have no clue about the owner he is Japanese and they expect the players to perform. No excuses you get paid millions we should not have to bring in a lot of players to win. I have lived i Japan and can tell you that as long as the players here in the states continue to be such huge babies it will never change here. The owner is not going to drop 200 million on players to win when these guys are already paid a ton of cash. It has nothing to do with the owners being happy fielding a mildly profitable team and has everything to do with the American way of "look at me I am special gimme gimme gimme I deserve everything handed to me".
@tandras Then why does the team constantly and consistently trade away prospects or mishandle the prospects we have for a bunch of has-beens? Ryan 'Little Unit' Anderson ring a bell?I'm well aware that the majority owner in the Mariners is Nintendo [CEO Satoru Iwata], and I contend that the company was *just fine* with Ichiro pulling in Japanese Ichiro fans and using Mariners tickets to see him as a perk for Nintendo NA staffers.
If there is a culture clash with Japanese ownership, then the owners need to reassess if they want to be involved in the American MLB. MLB has very little similarity to the Japanese leagues. Furthermore, why isn't ownership using the Japanese league as a farm system to import more of the high-performing, low-demand players you mention?
WOW! The Mariners are making some huge splashes in the free agent market.....said no one ever.