Pittsburgh Pirates: Former Pirate Jason Bay Likely To Retire After 11 MLB Seasons
By Matt Shetler
There was a time when it looked like former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jason Bay would have a stellar MLB career.
After leaving Pittsburgh, things never played out the way the All-Star wanted them to, and at the age of 35 it looks like Bay is ready to call it a career.
Jul 3, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Seattle Mariners right fielder Jason Bay (12) his a home run in the first inning of the game against the Texas Rangers at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Bay was the Pirates’ first Rookie of the Year, winning the award in 2004 after being acquired from the San Diego Padres in the Brian Giles trade. For parts of six different seasons, Bay was the Bucs’ biggest star before eventually being dealt to the Boston Red Sox.
He will end his career with a .266/.360/.481 line and 222 home runs in parts of 11 seasons. While he did hit well in his short stint in Boston, his greatest MLB success came in a Pirates uniform, where he combined to put up an impressive .281/.375/.515 line, hitting 139 homers while driving in 452 runs.
The downfall of his career began almost at the instant he signed a a four-year, $66 million contract with the New York Mets. Bay, who battled concussion issues in New York, had an unusual agreement with the Mets in which his contract was terminated early and Bay became a free agent.
He eventually ended up in Seattle where he hit only .204/.298/.393. and was released in August.
The Bay trade actually looked pretty good on paper for the Pirates at the time, but only reliever Bryan Morris remains from that 2008 deal, which given how Bay’s career panned out really isn’t that big of a deal.
It’s always fun to look back and you have to wonder how Bay’s career may have gone if the Pirates would have been able to afford to keep in in Pittsburgh.
Bay had an offer to play in Japan but has turned that down in order to spend more time with his family.