Jul
23
2011

Morning Grind: Should Dickey, Izzy and Paulino Be Off Limits At Trade Deadline?

An article by Joe D

According to ESPN, the Mets have received no shortage of inquiries from other teams regarding catcher Ronny Paulino, but the Mets are opting to hang onto him for the rest of this season. Really?

Team sources also confirmed that they won’t trade Jason Isringhausen either because they have chosen to keep him as a mentor to Bobby Parnell and Pedro Beato. You’re kidding me right?

Last week they told teams R.A. Dickey was off limits too…

As much as I wanted the Mets to be buyers rather than sellers, the choice has already been made as evidenced by the front office trading closer Frankie Rodriguez, and by the end of this week, Carlos Beltran their best slugger, will be gone as well. Do you believe in comebacks? Answer: no, they don’t.

So now that they’ve squashed our chances and stomped on any hopes we had to secure a wild card, what’s this nonsense about hanging on to players like Paulino, Dickey and Izzy?

There was nothing I wanted more than to see the Mets go after the young and very available Hunter Pence at the deadline to replace Angel Pagan and bolster our lineup for a run as our pitchers continue to keep us in games.

But now that we’ve tossed in the towel and are in full “can’t wait for this season to end” mode, you’re going to gut our team of star caliber players, but hang onto the likes of Izzy and Dickey?

At their age how do they figure into a rebuilding process, please tell me?

If you’re gonna dismantle the team anyway, why not get what you can for these older players and let us watch the kids and see what they can do. At least it will make watching the games more interesting.

About the Author: Joe DeCaro

I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.

8 Comments + Add Comment

Justin Silberman July 23, 2011 at 11:51 am

I thought Izzy was already off limits and was assured he would a remain a Met for 2011?
- Justin Silberman July 23, 2011 at 11:52 am
  
  I mean I think you have to keep Izzy not only because of the way he’s been pitching of late but Bobby Parnell and Pedro Beato really need that veteran mentor and leader down there in the bullpen and Izzy seems likes the perfect fit to be that guy
  - Alex in CT July 23, 2011 at 11:56 am
    
    Isn’t that what Dan Warthen gets paid for?
    - Justin Silberman July 23, 2011 at 12:05 pm
      
      Dan Warthen gets paid to be the pitching coach, with Izzy it’s a guy who’s on the team pitching in the same types of situations as Parnell and Beato he’s been there and done that, he’s the type of influence these young guys needs, you can’t just throw Parnell and Beato in the fire you have to let them walk before the run.
  - MetsMan86 July 23, 2011 at 12:01 pm
    
    Let Parnell and Beato walk before they run with the 9th inning. I could def see Parnell falling on face a handful of times if he were closing now and Beato is just plain not ready to close. Mets still have to field a team and that includes having a closer.
    - Justin Silberman July 23, 2011 at 12:05 pm
      
      Exactly. Well said MetsMan86 couldn’t agree with your more.
    - Pete July 23, 2011 at 12:41 pm
      
      I agree with you guys. Hanging onto Izzy is all about developing younger players. In this case, Parnell and Beato. Without Izzy to shoulder the load and allow the kids to ease into more responsibility and more pressure situations, they would be having a very tough time. Instead they can develop in a positive atmosphere, and they have an adequate support system.
t agee July 23, 2011 at 12:11 pm

Depends on what your offered. All three of those guys would have to be replaced and one of them are only signed till the end of the season. Dickey has a very team friendly deal with a club option and Capuano’s going to have to be replaced and who knows what with Pelfrey so do we have to take some calculated risks again this off season for two or three starting pitchers?

Capuano and Izzy are both free agents after this year so IF there are some worthwhile prospects being discussed we should be all over them. Paulino is arb eligable this year and a free agents in 2013. We’ll still need a catcher in 2012 and he could very easily become a type B free agent and leave us with a supplemental round pick in 2013.

I would definitely move Izzy and Capuano in the right deal and think long and hard before moving Paulino and unless someone offered something way out of line I’d keep Dickey.

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