Bay is heading into free agency this offseason and stands out as perhaps the most sought-after outfielder in the biz. Other names out there are Matt Holliday, Manny Ramirez (option), Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu and Carl Crawford (option).
Bay, who spent seven seasons in Pittsburgh before being traded to Boston in 2008, is unfamiliar with free agency. But judging by his incredible season, he won’t have trouble landing a home this winter.
“It’s really weird for me, the postseason, the regular season, you know where you’re going to be,” Bay told ESPN.com. “This is uncharted for me. I’m a little uneasy. I don’t know if this is the last time I’ll be in [the Red Sox locker room] or not.”
Bay certainly deserves the big bucks this season, but the question isn’t how much he will get, but who will be writing that fat check. Bay hit .267 with career highs of 36 homers and 119 RBIs for just $7.8 million — an absolute steal in this era.
Not only did Boston love Bay’s production, Bay loved Boston in return and lists the team as one of his preferred destinations in 2010.
“I haven’t gotten too far down the process, but there isn’t a ton of other places — I can’t say this is the only place. This is one of them, which makes it tough to think this might have been it. I’ve pretty much loved every minute of it. I’ve been here roughly a year and a half and it’s the quickest year and a half I’ve ever had in the big leagues, which is a good thing. Winning ballgames and the time flies, as they say. The whole [experience], the fans, has been very, very positive. There really hasn’t been a lot of negatives that I can draw from being here.”
