Bay agrees to four-year extension

11/17/2005
PITTSBURGH -- You could excuse Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jason Bay for being a little on the emotional side these days.
Less than a week after giving a tearjerker of a speech at his best friend's wedding, Bay found himself standing at a podium on Thursday at PNC Park discussing a four-year contract that will assure him of a lifetime's worth of financial security.
"This is one of the best days in my life, and I just want to say, 'Thank you,' " Bay said, his voice beginning to quiver a bit as he finished his admittedly unprepared address to the media.
It was almost as though the magnitude of his $18.25 million deal, with the possibility of another $750,000 in bonuses, had just begun to sink in.
"I still don't really fully comprehend it," Bay said afterward. "After a while, you kind of lose sight of the magnitude of it. It just becomes a business after a while, and you're talking like you're talking about Monopoly money."
Considering that Bay began his journey to the big leagues from a Trail, B.C. town without a high school baseball team, didn't get a sniff from Division I schools in the United States and had to fight his way through the Minor Leagues after being drafted in the 22nd round by the Montreal Expos, it's not surprising that the idea of being a highly-paid superstar athlete was still a bit overwhelming for the unassuming Canadian.
"Never did I ever think that something like this was going to happen," said Bay. "That makes it equally special. It's almost like getting called up to the big leagues again, because I never expected any of this."
Bay, 27, has emerged as the Pirates' top offensive player since being acquired from the San Diego Padres as part of the Brian Giles trade on Aug. 26, 2003. He batted .282 with 26 home runs and 82 RBIs in 2004 on his way to becoming the first Pirate and first Canadian-born player to be named the National League Rookie of the Year.
Bay followed that up last season by leading the Bucs with a .306 batting average, 44 doubles, 32 home runs, 101 RBIs, 110 runs and 21 stolen bases, while starting all 162 games. In doing so, he became the first player in team history to hit .300 with at least 30 home runs, 40 doubles, 20 stolen bases, 100 runs scored and 100 RBIs in the same season. He also ranked among the top 10 hitters in the National League in batting average, runs, doubles, hits (183), walks (95), multi-hit games (54), total bases (335), on-base percentage (.402) and slugging percentage (.559).
Bay, who had his contract renewed at $355,000 last season, would not have been arbitration eligible until next winter. However, in Bay, the Pirates see a player who could be the centerpiece of the franchise for years to come. And rather than roll the dice at the arbitrator's table for the next three years, the team offered Bay its longest contract since Jason Kendall signed a six-year, $60 million deal in 2000.
"We've gone through some tough times in the past as far as guys on multi-year contracts. This is one we feel very comfortable about," said Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield.
"Jason has done an outstanding job with us. He's been spectacular with what he has done since he's come to the big leagues. His offensive production has been excellent and has continued to improve after two years. We feel confident that this will continue throughout his career. We're certainly glad to have him on board and appreciate his commitment to accepting this contract."
The extension is the culmination of more than two months of negotiations between the team and Bay's agent, Joe Urbon. The Pirates had hoped to add a fifth year to the deal by including a team option for 2010, which will be Bay's first opportunity to test the free agent waters.
"We were certainly interested in a five-year deal, as long as that fifth year was guaranteed. But we weren't interested in a fifth year that was a team option," said Urbon. "That was really why this took as long as it did. We needed to be on the same page with regard to the structure. Once we got on the same page, the process went fairly quickly."
In addition to Bay's performance on the field, the Pirates have been impressed by his willingness to participate in local charities and other team-sponsored events. Pirates CEO and general managing partner Kevin McClatchy called Bay a "terrific ambassador" for Canada and the Bucs.
"In the 10 years I have been in this game, [Bay] is one of the most down-to-earth people, one of the most humble people that I have been around," said McClatchy. "He truly understands what his part needs to be for the team, but also for the community. I'm very excited that Jason is going to be with us for a number of years."
McClatchy viewed Bay's signing as a positive step for an organization that is trying to build a winner around its core of young talent.
"One thing that I've always said we have to do to be successful is to be able to keep our own players once we develop them," said McClatchy. "This is an instance where we have identified a key player in our organization for the future. We need to keep players like Jason Bay to be successful."
With his new contract in hand, Bay fully understands that he will now be looked upon as the focal point of the organization. The mild-mannered Bay, noting the pressures that he has had to overcome to make it to the big leagues, readily accepts that challenge.
"I'm open to that," said Bay. "I'm not the type of person who is going to say, 'I'm the face of the Pirates -- look at me.' But at the same time, I understand with certain obligations, there come responsibilities. I'm not going to shy away from that."

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/