BOSTON — Jason Bay got a taste of what it’s like to play in a baseball-crazy atmosphere the last year and a half. He admitted Sunday that, as he heads into an uncertain winter as a free agent, he has gotten a big kick out of being in Boston.
“I’ve pretty much loved every minute of it,” said the Vancouver native. “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. There really hasn’t been a lot of negatives that I can draw from being here, which, again, makes it tough not knowing my situation and if I have a chance to be back or not.”
Bay hit .267 with 36 home runs and 119 RBIs this season, which sends him into free agency with something to sell but the market can be very fickle. Last year, Raul Ibanez and Bobby Abreu were two of the best corner outfielders on the market. Ibanez got a three-year $31.5 million deal in Philly. Abreu had to accept a one-year deal for $5 million from the Angels.
“This is uncharted for me,” said Bay, who made $7.8 million this year. “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. It’s really weird for me, the postseason, the regular season, you know where you’re going to be.”
It’s clear he would like to return to Boston but that’s not necessarily a cinch. It depends on what the Sox decide to do in the marketplace this winter
“I haven’t gotten too far down the process, but there isn’t a ton of other places,” said Bay of his preferred destinations. “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.”
The Red Sox have most of their top players under contract at last through next year. Bay and Casey Kotchman are the only outright free agents this fall. They have, at least, club options on several others whose guarantees are expiring.
Throughtout baseball, there are quite a number of corner outfielders testing the market this winter, including Abreu, Vlad Guererro, Jermaine Dye, Johnny Damon, Matt Holliday, Manny Ramirez and Bay.
