PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – Jason Bay had last faced John Lackey on Oct. 8, 2009, in the seventh inning of Game 1 of the American League Division Series. 

Thursday brought the rematch, with Bay first fending off a smattering of boos from the Red Sox fans making the trip to Tradition Field (“It was lukewarm, at best,” Bay said) before grounding out. 

“Sinker, hitting the corners,” Bay said after Lackey's three-inning, three-hit outing, in which eight of his nine outs came on grounders. “Same guy.”

But hardly the same circumstances.

The pitcher Bay faced this time was the player who, for all intents and purposes, punched the outfielder’s ticket out of town. Once the Sox signed Lackey to his five-year, $82.5 million deal, the particulars for the early January Citi Field press conference announcing Bay as a Met might as well have been put in place.

The Red Sox had one big contract to give, and they chose Lackey. So, having been re-introduced to the player who altered his existence, what did Bay think about the move?

“You look at it now and it’s genius,” Bay said. “Look at that pitching staff and it’s ridiculous. But at the time it didn’t look like there was a need. But it was a great move.

“It surprised me because you hear all the stuff that goes on and his name wasn’t connected with the Red Sox and then all of a sudden, boom, done. Usually people get wind of things like that. They’re good at doing their own thing, but of all the teams he was rumored to go to, then it was the Red Sox.”

Earlier Thursday morning, Bay had answered all the questions regarding if he believed the Red Sox would have enough offense now that his 36 home runs had left the building. His answer wasn’t surprising. (“Of course,” he said.)

But the questions regarding the Sox’ offense are painted with a broader brush. A more specific debate revolves around if the Red Sox made the right choice. Lackey or Bay? Bay or Lackey? Premier pitcher or power bat?

“I don’t think you can put it that way,” Bay said. “They have more than enough offense. The Red Sox always have that way of having too many pitchers and it always works out. Last year it was Smoltz, Penny and everybody. It works itself out.”

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Interestingly enough, the Red Sox weren’t the only ones faced with such a decision. The Mets — although not carrying the luxury of an overabundance of pitching like the Sox — also were sifting through the merits of Lackey vs. Bay.

For the Mets, their decision was, to a large extent, made for them when the Red Sox swooped in and closed the Lackey deal in a blink of an eye, thanks in large part to the commitment of a fifth year.

“We liked Lackey,” Mets general manager Omar Minaya said. “We thought Lackey was probably the best starting pitcher out there. As far as Bay, we thought we needed a power hitter. Give Boston credit, they were aggressive. At the time of the winter meetings we talked to both of them and they were very aggressive going after Lackey. I’ll give them credit. They liked the guy, they went after him right away.”

While both teams were prioritizing the two players, they also viewed them in somewhat different lights. According to a major league source, for instance, the Mets thought that a five-year commitment to Lackey came with greater physical concerns than did a four-year deal with Bay, whereas the Sox appeared to have more issues with the outfielder’s physical state.

The two teams also had differing opinions when it came to Bay’s defense, an issue that fed some Red Sox hesitancy. 

“I was not concerned,” Minaya said. “We had seen him in the National League. We didn’t see what people were talking about. I can understand it. When you play left field at Fenway Park it’s not easy. Guys can look back at that left field wall. “

Now it’s about looking forward to the next four years.

“I didn’t keep an eye on anybody,” Bay said of other free agents this past offseason. “But [Lackey] was a great move.”