Bay will bring unity to Sox
from WMUR.com
BOSTON -- Newly acquired outfielder Jason Bay is helping the Boston Red Sox come together as a team -- a unity that the club has not felt for some time, Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said Friday.
Epstein said the team was in a difficult situation on Thursday when they acquired Bay from Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-team trade that sent slugger Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Epstein, Francona Discuss Bay, Ramirez |
Jason Bay: Happy To Be In Boston
"It was absolutely the right thing to do," Epstein said. "We were having a difficult time, and it wasn't one person's fault. There was a dynamic that was created that made it difficult to play at our best and for the players to perform."
The trade not only puts the team in a good position "going forward," and also boosts the morale of the club, Epstein said.
"There are 25 guys down there that feel like a team, and it hasn't felt like that in a while, and you have to feel like that in professional sports to perform at your best," Epstein said.
The team met with Ramirez on a number of occasions, and Epstein said that they were always open and honest with him, but it started to effect the organization and the team "did what they had to do to move on."
Bay, 29, joined the team minutes before the trade deadline. He said that the past 24 hours have been a whirlwind.
"I found out a few minutes before the 4 p.m. deadline. I was on a bus. They pulled me back and said, 'You've been traded. Good luck. Win a ring,'" Bay said.
"There were different versions of the deal that died, and this version did not get resuscitated until a couple of minutes before the deadline," Epstein said. "We came together as an organization and did what we felt was the right thing on a number of different levels."
Bay, who will wear No. 44, said that he is not looking to replace anyone, but he is excited to be in Boston, with a team that he grew up admiring.
"The atmosphere -- the winning -- that is something I am looking forward to, and I couldn't have picked a better place," Bay said. "My dad was a die-hard Red Sox fan, and I grew up with two posters -- one of Jim Rice -- and they are still in my (parent's) basement."
Bay is a two-time All-Star and former National League Rookie of the Year. He was popular with fans and teammates and was one of Pittsburgh's best players in years.
"He knows who he is, and he doesn't try to be more than that," Epstein said. "He is not an immature kid who is searching for his place on a roster or his place in the world."
The team is confident that Bay will contribute to a winning environment and is "eager to play in meaningful games in the postseason," Epstein said.
Bay is batting .282 this season and has had 22 homers and 59 RBIs. The right-hander's 2009 salary is set at $7.5 million.
He has a career major league average of .282 with 140 homers and 454 RBIs in 722 games with San Diego and Pittsburgh. During the last five seasons, he ranks eighth in the National League in homers with 136.
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So - you think that Bay will bring unity to a already fairly united team?
BOSTON -- Newly acquired outfielder Jason Bay is helping the Boston Red Sox come together as a team -- a unity that the club has not felt for some time, Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said Friday.
Epstein said the team was in a difficult situation on Thursday when they acquired Bay from Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-team trade that sent slugger Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Epstein, Francona Discuss Bay, Ramirez |
Jason Bay: Happy To Be In Boston
"It was absolutely the right thing to do," Epstein said. "We were having a difficult time, and it wasn't one person's fault. There was a dynamic that was created that made it difficult to play at our best and for the players to perform."
The trade not only puts the team in a good position "going forward," and also boosts the morale of the club, Epstein said.
"There are 25 guys down there that feel like a team, and it hasn't felt like that in a while, and you have to feel like that in professional sports to perform at your best," Epstein said.
The team met with Ramirez on a number of occasions, and Epstein said that they were always open and honest with him, but it started to effect the organization and the team "did what they had to do to move on."
Bay, 29, joined the team minutes before the trade deadline. He said that the past 24 hours have been a whirlwind.
"I found out a few minutes before the 4 p.m. deadline. I was on a bus. They pulled me back and said, 'You've been traded. Good luck. Win a ring,'" Bay said.
"There were different versions of the deal that died, and this version did not get resuscitated until a couple of minutes before the deadline," Epstein said. "We came together as an organization and did what we felt was the right thing on a number of different levels."
Bay, who will wear No. 44, said that he is not looking to replace anyone, but he is excited to be in Boston, with a team that he grew up admiring.
"The atmosphere -- the winning -- that is something I am looking forward to, and I couldn't have picked a better place," Bay said. "My dad was a die-hard Red Sox fan, and I grew up with two posters -- one of Jim Rice -- and they are still in my (parent's) basement."
Bay is a two-time All-Star and former National League Rookie of the Year. He was popular with fans and teammates and was one of Pittsburgh's best players in years.
"He knows who he is, and he doesn't try to be more than that," Epstein said. "He is not an immature kid who is searching for his place on a roster or his place in the world."
The team is confident that Bay will contribute to a winning environment and is "eager to play in meaningful games in the postseason," Epstein said.
Bay is batting .282 this season and has had 22 homers and 59 RBIs. The right-hander's 2009 salary is set at $7.5 million.
He has a career major league average of .282 with 140 homers and 454 RBIs in 722 games with San Diego and Pittsburgh. During the last five seasons, he ranks eighth in the National League in homers with 136.
Previous Stories:
- August 1, 2008: Done Deal: Manny Delivered To Dodgers
- August 1, 2008: Who Is Jason Bay?
So - you think that Bay will bring unity to a already fairly united team?