As many times as Jason Bay was asked the question, he never quite answered it.
With the left fielder set to hit free agency this winter, and the Red Sox facing a gaping hole in left field and their lineup without him, Bay was asked whether returning to the Sox would be his first choice.
Although he said that Boston was high on the list, he never said it was first.
He certainly never said it was the only place he could see himself next season.
“I’m not going to say that,’’ Bay said yesterday, after cleaning out his locker at Fenway Park. “I’m not going to state that. But, yeah, I think ultimately it just boils down to I’ve gotten to this point. I’d do myself a disservice if I didn’t look around.
“I’ve said all along, I’m a pretty levelheaded guy. If something comes up that makes sense, tough time saying no.’’
So, yes, Bay will head into free agency.
He will listen to any team that wants to make an offer - including the Yankees. And although familiarity and comfort and proximity to his family are involved, Bay didn’t shy away from delineating the key factor: “At some point, it is about the money,’’ he said.
He will be high on the list of many teams in an offseason with few impact free agents. But he is not the only piece the Sox must work around. While they have a number of players who will certainly be back, there are certain positions in flux. Like shortstop, again. Like backup catcher.
“I think it can go a number of different directions,’’ said general manager Theo Epstein. “We’re always open to change because you need change to improve. It’s part of the natural cycle in baseball and life.
“Sometimes the market doesn’t bear that out. Sometimes there aren’t the right fits. Sometimes it’s not the right free agent market. Sometimes you end up with more status quo than you want.
“If that’s the case, if we look back three or four months from now and say, ‘Wow, there weren’t major changes,’ then I think next year will be perhaps the last year of this main group of players - we have a lot of players going into contract years next year. It might be one more chance with this group to go out and win the whole thing.’’
With Mike Lowell, Josh Beckett, Victor Martinez, and potentially David Ortiz ($12.5 million club option for 2011) all heading into contract years in 2010, the Sox will have to consider which are worthy of extensions.
But that is the future. For now, the team is focused on next season, which starts with Bay.
Jason Bay
It appears that Bay and the Sox want a deal to get done. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it will.
The sides talked multiple times this season, breaking off discussions twice, in spring training and in the middle of the season.
