Jason Bay

If Year 1 of Bay's four-year, $63 million deal with the Mets ended in ignominious fashion with a July concussion, Year 2 was an unmitigated disaster. Bay missed the first three weeks of the year with a strained rib-cage muscle and was limited to just 123 games by various injuries. He didn't hit above .265 in any month until September with monthly maxes of three homers and 15 RBI. Bay had a few hot streaks during the season, but each time, he fell back into some bad habits or experienced bad luck, putting him back at square one. Perhaps the Mets' decision to move in the Citi Field fences will help him, but we are skeptical. Despite his struggles, Bay should open 2012 as the Mets' starting left fielder.

Bay signed a four-year, $63 million contract with a vesting option for a fifth year for $17 million last offseason then suffered through a nightmarish first year in New York. Bay struggled mightily as a Met before suffering a whiplash-induced concussion at Dodger Stadium on July 23 that essentially ended his season. After averaging 31 HR and 107 RBI the previous five seasons, Bay had just six and 47 in 348 at-bats over 95 games and never seemed comfortable at the plate. Bay is expected to be 100 percent healthy for the start of the season and should have a rebound season in year 2 in New York.

Bay signed a four-year deal with the Mets to take over left field after posting career-high numbers in homers and RBI while hitting .267/.384/.537 for the Red Sox. After years in small-market Pittsburgh, Bay thrived in the heat of the AL East and continued to display strong plate discipline and power. If there's been one knock on Bay, it's that his defense is below average and that could become more of an issue in Citi Field. Still, he's a good bet to hit 30 homers again and the move to the NL should help him remain in double digits in steals.

Bay rebounded from a sub-par 2007 season, putting up 31 homers and 101 RBI combined between Boston and Pittsburgh. In retrospect, it appears offseason knee surgery played a role in the 2007 drop. In Boston, Bay has become part of a better batting order and increased his RBI potential playing for a team that leads the league in on-base percentage. He didn't replace Manny Ramirez' raw power, but he was productive and an efficient hitter during his 49-game stint in Boston. He'll begin the 2009 season as Boston's starting left fielder and, pending free-agent acquisitions, he'll hit somewhere between fifth and seventh the batting order. Bay is entering the final year of his current contract.

Bay struggled in every aspect of the game in 2007. He hit .247/.327/.418 and slumped to a four-year low total of 21 home runs. His defense was sub-par in the field. On the basepaths, the two time All-Star swiped just four bags, down from 21 in 2005. The results raise the question: How much did injuries affect Bay's performance and can he rebound? Bay underwent knee surgery last offseason and played with knee tendinitis throughout the 2007 campaign. He underwent shoulder surgery several years ago, making his throwing arm one of the worst in the league. He's gone from a four-tool player to an under-achieving producer in less than two years. A change of scenery would do the gentlemanly Bay well. Even if Bay enters the 2008 season with the Pirates, there's a good chance the team will trade him midseason as it rebuilds for the umpteenth time in the last 15 seasons.

Thanks to a grass-roots voting campaign, Bay started the 2006 All-Star game in front of his hometown fans at PNC Park. The unassuming native of Trail, British Columbia, went about his work in fine fashion, boosting his home run and RBI totals to 35 and 109, respectively -- both career highs. His numbers could've been even better if he'd hit with runners in scoring position. Bay batted .286 overall but just .242 in RISP spots. He also had Freddy Sanchez, the NL's batting champ, hitting ahead of him. Bay saw his streak of consecutive games end at 307 but missed just three games. He's an elite offensive weapon who's as consistent as they come. Bid with confidence.

With little fanfare, Bay put together one of the finest all-around seasons in the majors in 2005. The 27-year-old Canadian carried his club in nearly every statistical way, batting .306 with 32 home runs and 101 RBI. He even stole 21 bases while being caught just once, in the last week of the season. Bay, who was named the Pirates' first-ever Rookie of the Year in 2004, followed up on that honor by being named to his first NL All-Star squad last year. Perhaps most impressively, he finished 10th in the majors with a .961 OPS rating despite Pittsburgh's failure to place another player in the top 100. Expect more of the same from Bay in 2006.

Bay missed the first five weeks of the 2004 season recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, yet still managed to hit .282 with 26 homers and 82 RBI. He slugged .550 and logged a .358 OBP despite striking out 129 times en route to becoming the first Pirate (and Canadian) to win the Rookie of the Year Award. Though he only stole four bases last season, he is capable of swiping 15+ bags if the Bucs turn him loose. The Pirates took a lot of heat for dealing Brian Giles in 2003, but both Bay and Oliver Perez, who also came over from San Diego, have more than held up their end of the bargain and are now considered cornerstones of the franchise.

Bay, who comes from a place (Trail, B.C.) with deep hockey roots, is expected to patrol left field for the Pirates for years to come. After coming over from San Diego in the Brian Giles deal, the Canadian made his presence felt with an eight RBI game in late September. Bay isn't quite the player that Giles is, but he hits for average and has some pop, plus he has good strike zone judgment, averaging one walk per every 4.6 at bats in 2003. He also runs well (26 steals overall in 2003) and plays solid defense. As an everyday player in Steel Town, he has the potential to put up Steve Finley-type numbers. Bay had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder in December and might not be ready for the start of the season.

The 22nd round pick of the 2000 draft by the Expos won the 2001 Midwest League batting title with a .362 AVG as a 22-year-old rookie. Makes things happen when he reaches base as evidenced by his 34 SBs in 39 attempts in 102 A/AA games in 2002. Prospects with higher ceilings impede his path to the big leagues, though he is on the Padres' 40-man roster heading into spring training.