The Door's Over There Jay

Jay Payton is unhappy in Boston. And he wants you to know it. The reserve outfielder, in his first season with the Red Sox, is complaining about a lack of playing time and he wishes to be traded to a team that will allow him to start. My advice for Theo Epstein is to dump him as soon as possible. The Red Sox -- the 2004 text-book example of team chemistry -- do not need a malcontent who is moaning about playing more. Especially when the three outfielders in front of him on the depth chart are Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon and Trot Nixon. Especially when he is hitting just .252 with 4 home runs and 18 RBI (in 103 at-bats). I was excited when the Red Sox traded playoff hero Dave Roberts to the San Diego Padres for Payton, Ramon Vazquez and Blaine Neal. I was sad to see Roberts go but the thought of having a talent like Payton to back-up the Ramirez/Damon/Nixon trio was intriguing. He has a good bat, above average speed and a solid glove. I also believed that he would accept his role as a fourth outfielder for one year because it would give him a chance to win the World Series for the first time (he was a member of the 2000 New York Mets that lost to the Yankees in the Series). It turns out I was wrong. In today's Boston Herald, Payton told Michael Silverman that, "...bottom line is, I like to play baseball. I don't like to watch baseball." While Payton did express admiration for the three players in front of him, he made it clear that making more money as a free agent (he becomes an unrestricted free agent after the season ends) is more important that being on a winning team. "It's a double-edged sword," Payton quipped. "You want to win, but you also need to take care of your own personal being, so to speak." I guess the $3.5 million that the Red Sox are paying Payton to be a reserve player just isn't enough. The Red Sox need to find a new home for Payton in the immediate future. It's a shame that things did not work out between him and the Red Sox but that is what happens sometimes in the world of professional sports.