Link'd Up, 12/29/09: Bay Breezes In

It appears the Mets have finally landed their big free agent prize. ESPN is reporting the club reached an agreement with marquee left fielder Jason Bay. The former Red Sox outfielder's deal is reportedly worth $66 million over four years, with a vesting option that could push the contract to five years, $80 million.

(Note: You gotta love sports free agency. Where else can you hear the words 'vesting option' and not think of Wall Street?)

Bay's signing creates a ripple effect that extends all the way up to the Bronx, where the Yankees are still looking for a starting left fielder. Right now, though, you have to take your hat off to Mets' GM Omar Minaya, who ended a brutal year on a positive note. Bay gives the Mets immediate power in a frontloaded lineup (see Reyes, Jose, Beltran, Carlos, and Wright, David) desperately in need of an RBI machine like Bay.