Jason Bay and the New York Mets today announced a negotiated early expiration of his contract.  The agreement provides Bay his unconditional free agency while the Mets gain roster flexibility.  Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“Jason is a great teammate, hard worker, stand-up guy, and true gentleman,” said Mets Chief Operating Officer Jeff Wilpon.  “Like Jason, we had planned for the kind of production here that he enjoyed in Boston and Pittsburgh, where he established himself as one of the game’s top players.  We wish Jason and his family success and happiness in the future.”

“Jason has a tremendous work ethic. There was never any question about it,” said Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson.  “Unfortunately, the results weren’t there and we are in a results-oriented business.  We thank Jason for his efforts and wish him well.”

“I still feel I have plenty to give to this game and that I can play baseball at a high level. But after serious consideration, both sides agree that we would benefit from a fresh start,” said Bay.  “I’m grateful we were able to reach an agreement to allow that to happen.  I’m excited to keep playing and have no intention of just walking away.  I enjoyed my time in New York.  I have no regrets in signing with the Mets, other than that I wasn’t able to play to the level that the team, the fans and I all expected and that we weren’t able to win more games. I move on with nothing but an appreciation for the organization and its fans and best wishes to all my teammates there.”

– Mets press release.

Whoa. So that happened sooner than expected. I was in the midst of writing something pretty long when this news broke and I’ve got a podcast to record in 10 minutes, so it’ll be quiet here for a bit. Discuss Bay’s departure amongst yourselves, if you’d like.

Now we’ll have something to discuss on the podcast, I suppose.