Are the Mets nine games back of the second wild card spot in the National League? Sure, but that won't matter when Jason Bay leads the team to its first reverse-collapse in team history over the remainder of the season.
Over the last one game, Bay is hitting .400 with a 1.400 OPS. Does any one of Joey Votto, Andrew McCutchen, David Ortiz, or Mike Trout have an OPS that high this season? Nope, didn't think so. What's more, Bay dismissed any and all concerns that he can't hit right-handed pitching anymore because his home run last night came against right-handed Reds pitcher Homer Bailey.
The Mets' outfield has been worrisome all season long, but the Mets' Canadian outfield savior has been sitting right here in front of our faces all year. After the Mets close the nine-game gap and take over a wild card spot — hell, maybe even the division — Carlos Beltran's amazing postseason track record will look pedestrian as Bay marches on to win NLCS and World Series MVP honors.
With any luck, Bay will continue his dominance through at least 600 plate appearances next year to guarantee his $17 million vesting option for 2014. At that price, he'll be a damn bargain.