SportsFullCircle

After a long hiatus from SFC, Matt Black is back with his insight on the MLB off-season.

The two premium bats on the free agent market this off-season are Jason Bay, formerly of the Boston Red Sox, and Matt Holliday, who played the second half of 2009 with the St. Louis Cardinals. The debate rages over who is the better outfielder.

While Bay reigns supreme in power and RBI, knocking in 119 while blasting 36 homers, Holliday is younger and better defensively than his fellow left fielder. Now, to give Holliday credit, he is quite the offensive player himself, having had a very respectable 24 home runs with 109 RBI in the 2009 campaign in which he split time between Oakland and St. Louis.

Boston has said that they would like to keep Bay, whom they acquired at the 2008 trade deadline for Manny Ramirez and prospects in a three-way deal. Bay has been by far the Red Sox’s biggest offensive threat, but after declining a 4-year, $60 million offer, the Red Sox may move on the greener pastures.

That’s where Mr. Holliday comes in. Holliday has yet to receive an offer from the Cardinals and according to many sources, they will not be retaining his services. The Red Sox, Mets, Yankees, and Mariners have all expressed interest in the All-Star left fielder. ESPN reporter Jayson Stark believes it will be the Red Sox who sign Holliday, because the Yankees are trying to reduce payroll, and the Mariners, who seem more interested in Bay, can not afford him. The Mets will have trouble ponying up the money to the contract Holliday and super agent Scott Boras will demand.

So it is the opinion of this writer that Jason Bay will be blasting bombs into the water at Angel Stadium while Holliday knocks a few onto the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Comment with your opinions.