FYI - Priced in gold, Jason Bay is being paid about 1/3 of what Beltran was paid.

If priced in other commodities, he is being paid even less than that, relative to Beltran's contract.

In real purchasing power, the Mets got Bay for less than what the Astros paid Carlos Lee.

Bay is much better than he's given credit for on this board, mostly because of how misunderstood UZR is by most of you. Add to that the inflation adjusted compensation Bay is receiving, and his contract is a great deal. Citi will depress his HRs a bit, but Bay will be a monster otherwise. He's a bit streaky, but when he's hot, he measures up to any hitter in the game.

Another point, the formula for calculating the value of a 1 WAR player is not 1/4 of a 4 WAR player. (I will not comment on the flaws of calculating WAR or defensive value for now.) There are a myriad of reasons why this is true, but the simplest reason is that the incremental value of each win is greater when they come from a single player.

The Mets are going to be a powerhouse in 2010. Omar has constructed a juggernaut that can only be stopped by injuries. Oliver, Maine, Pelfrey and Niese offer far more upside than any of you seem to realize. If the pitching is average behind Johan, the Mets may STILL win the division. If we need an arm, the farm has plenty of firepower to bring an arm via trade if we don't acquire that arm this offseason.

Omar has built the best Mets offense we've ever seen (he brought Reyes into the system, so it wasn't all cash). If Pelfrey breaks out (which I am expecting), this is a 100 win team. If Esco or the Japanese dude can't hold down the pen, we will unleash Mejia.

Mets 2010 NL East Champs: You heard it here first.