16
2012
Are We Really About To Trade A Reigning Cy Young Award Winner
An article by 
R.A. Dickey has just won the Cy Young Award… R.A. Dickey has just done what no Mets pitcher has done since 1985… R.A. Dickey may get his award on Opening Day in a Blue Jays or Dodgers uniform, or any other team who gives Sandy Alderson whatever it is he’s looking for. If that happens, it will be weird to see another franchise celebrating Dickey’s remarkable achievement. It won’t feel the same as when Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden won their awards. We shared in their glory, but that won’t happen if Dickey is traded. This comes one year after the Mets traded reigning National League Batting Champion, Jose Reyes.
I wondered what some of our writers thought and what they would do if the decision was theirs to make. You’re the GM: Should Dickey stay or should he go?
Joe Spector – My heart says keep him. We NEED to have something to be proud of, badly and R.A.’s success really personifies what it means to be a Met. Now we also have to come to grips with the fact that he’s 38 years old and even though he’s a knuckleballer, 38 is still 38. His value is at the highest it has ever been. Unless the Mets are bowled over with an incredible deal then keep him. I can see both sides agreeing on a 3 year deal at around 14 mil per with a mutual option for a 4th.
Jessep – Really, really tough call. I frankly think it’s all about what they get back. If they can get a catcher, or corner OF that we can legitimately expect to see in a Mets uniform by 2014 – then I say go for it. But, I’m really hesitant to do that because I do think the Mets need to establish a sense of “normalcy” and move past the dumping of veterans. I think if Dickey is willing to sign a 3 year deal max, then you sign him because you’re showing everybody that the Mets troubles are behind them. You can always trade him if you need to. I personally am skeptical of his trade value because of so many negative factors. So I say hang with him and hope you continue to see special performances.
Jessica DeMattia – The Mets are in a weird place right now; yes, they do have a full rotation of guys that pitch and keep us in the game. But without Dickey and Johan Santana coming off yet another injury, I don’t think we have an ace in the hole. Without Dickey, who do you give the ball to on Opening Day? With Dickey gone, you’re also potentially rushing Zack Wheeler, who the Mets are trying to keep on the Matt Harvey path. I have full faith that Sandy Alderson will make the move that’s best for the Mets, whether it be to sign R.A. to an extension deal or to trade him.
NYMets945 – Dickey should stay and be the ace and another face of this franchise for the Mets, but only if he agrees to a 2-year deal following this season. So $5MM this season and then $10-13MM per for the next two seasons after that. If not then I am looking to deal him for a top 50 overall prospect from a team and 2-3 other solid prospects in order to help this team in the future. I think Dickey should be here when this team is good in future, but for the right deal.
Craig Lerner – Honestly, I don’t see how we don’t capitalize on this opportunity to cash in on this tremendous peak value Dickey now has. The trick to running a successful team is knowing when to sell high and when to buy low. Dickey now gives the Mets something they haven’t had in quite some time, a valuable trade chip that could transform our fortunes. Just as the A’s cashed in on Gio Gonzalez, the Mets should cash in on R.A. Dickey.
Michael Rappaport – It all comes down to price. I would love to keep Dickey in the Orange and Blue, but Dickey is also going to get a nice contract from somebody else if the Mets can’t afford it. Also, at 38 years old, the odds of R.A. repeating his stellar season aren’t high. It would be unfortunate to lose Dickey, but in the long run, getting players back for him could be the best move for the organization.
Clare Lafferty – Sandy should do everything he can to keep R.A. Dickey. He wants to stay and we really need him going forward. That being said, if there is a really great trade out there for R.A that can help us in the long run, we should consider it. But, my first choice would be to keep Dickey.
Barry Duchan – I’d trade Dickey if an overwhelming deal is offered, something similar to what the Padres received for Mat Latos. If Toronto is really serious about going for it in 2013, they have plenty of players to fill Mets’ needs such as D’Arnaud or Arencibia, Gose, Sierra, and an excess of pitching. A 4-for-1 might do it. KC could also put together a good package, but I’d doubt they’d be interested.
Gregg Hopps – If I were GM of the Mets, I would do my best to sign Dickey. Forget for the moment he’s the Cy Young winner, he’s a good knuckleball pitcher, who can eat up innings. Also as a knuckleball pitcher he can pitch well into his forties. After signing David Wight, Alderson needs to get this done.
XtreemIcon – I wish it were that simple. I don’t think anyone wants to see him go, but a GM needs to explore every opportunity. If some team would overpay and offer a great package, then he should be traded. Maybe he’s demanding too much in negotiations. Or maybe he’d agree to three years at $36 mil and he’s extended. If I’m the GM, that’s as much as I’d guarantee. We can discuss an option year, but nothing more than 3/36 is guaranteed.
Rob Tie-Dyed - He should definitely stay. Personally, I wish our knuckleballer would shop Sandy Alderson.
Should we make every attempt we can to sign R.A. Dickey? Or does he join a growing list of former Mets All Stars that have been systematically ousted via trades in the last 24 months?
When does the bloodletting stop, or maybe a better question is when will we ever begin to see results that you can see in the team’s won-loss record?
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.
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its really about what we can get back for RA . If we can fill some whole i.e. a prospect catcher and a mlb prove outfield hitter , sure we should pull the trigger . If the package is right ( and i think it will be ) RA will be traded . Sad to lose him, but it would be exciting to see what we get for him .
That’s what gets missed when a comment section is as polarized as this. There is no middle ground. We don’t know the trade packages being offered or at this point the contract required to keep him.
3/27 or 2/22 with an option? Trade package is a stud guy like Trumbo. Trade package is scrub one and two? Again, there are so many directions they can go. Not only that if they decide to trade Wright then you are basically locked into trading Dickey because what the hell would he be good for then?
yep i guess we have to trust our FO . i mean i do , still mad for not helping the team before the break , but i have hope in the guys who have to decide , for now …..
Sandy knows when or when not to pull the trigger. I trust him in trade purposes. If he doesn’t get what he want.. he will sign Dickey long term. No problem.
love da men with faith around here , we need more of that
How can you “trust” Sandy in trade purposes? Are you really serious? Is this Jeff Wilpon or Saul Katz handle? LOL. Wheeler isin’t in MLB yet. Not last time I checked…His other trades…LOL.
STud guy like Trumbo? You mean the guy that sunk harder than Wright did in the second half? He’s a 1b. He’s as bad as Duda in the OF. No thanks.
Actually based on MY EYEEEES and of course reports he wouldn’t be as bad as Duda in the OF. Also, yes he tanked in the 2nd half and Ike tanked in the first half. Look at his stats compared to Ike for their careers so far. You telling me you wouldn’t trade Dickey for Ike?
You’re comparing Trumbos slump to Ikes? Where Ike hasn’t been playing for a full year developed valley fever and had a weird ankle injury to boot? As soon as he got up to speed he developed his game changing power. Trumbo on the other hand started out HOT and then he slows down by playing more? How does that make sense? I’d prefer players to heat up in the second half.. not cool down in the second half. It’s when it matters the most.
Trumbo is a pipe dream
You are most likely right but my entire point is you have no idea what type of package or return he will get so saying he for sure should be signed or for sure should be traded without knowing facts is just acting based on emotion.
Agreed
Tough call, but as i said.. There is no sense in keeping the guy. We’re not competing next year, might as well fill as many holes as we can have in a package for him, THEN do the next trade including david wright.. again, what good would it do to us having both guys sign then once again finishing 4th? If there was another GM in house, who is trying to win and would’ve brought in players to help the team last year, then yea. by all means sign the guy, but again, we’ve never gonna have this opportunity with him again, we should sell high because he’ll be 40 years of age the year the mets are supposedly be contenders again in 2014. By that time wright could be in jason bay territory and dickey’s knuckle ball wouldn’t be as effective, then we once again would be stuck with 2 albatross contract for 2 well underperforming players for years and years to come… Again, just because you were the best player on a bad team doesn’t mean you have to be the highest paid 3rd baseman in the league. Get as much as you can for both of them and see where we are with all the young talent by 2014 THEN, you’re free of contracts and with a lot of money to spend, young talent of good players all around and it gives us the luxury of bringing in veterans to help the young guys win while helping the team in the process…
“By that time wright could be in jason bay territory”……OMG, the thought of that is such a horror.
I truly believe that the Mets organization has more leverage in these negotiations than the 2 players do. But the sad part is I don’t know if Sandy knows it. And with the $$$ numbers we’re hearing floated around, it sure sounds like he doesn’t know it. Dickey knows full well that not signing an extension now is risky business and a gamble. He’s smart enough to know that his value could sink if he waits to sign as a free agent at the end of 2013. The same holds true for Wright, especially with his late season swoons, lack of consistency and general fall off from the player he once was.
Extending both of them is only the right move if its the right price. I just hope the Mets don’t let them both hijack a boat load of money when then could get a boatload of prospects.
Metswatchman, according to you then?? what’s the right price??
Wright in the $90′s for 5yrs…..Dickey no more than 2yrs around $10 mil per. But of course this means nothing to someone that sees no value whatsoever in keeping either one of them, and I know a few people lke that.
Fair enough… Now, let’s pray to god that the deal your presented which is more than fair is what they discussing.. However, since we’ve seen how wright is just another greedy ballplayer just like every other player i doubt he settle for a hometown discount..
I read where Dickey was willing to negotiate a hometown discount – he just doesn’t want to be insulted by the offer.
I think painting a broad stroke that every single player is greedy is not accurate. I’ll grant it that most follow the money. Especially those who are not nearing the end of their career.
For example, read that Carlos Lee would like to stay with Miami and would be willing to do so for a huge discount. Good thing b/c Miami responded with something like ‘we’ll consider it as long as Carlos understand he’s made all the money he’s ever going to make’.
I could not, if I were GM, part with Dickey for anything less than an established young ML talent. Prospects are cool but I would be after a RF that I can plug right into the roster in 2013. For all the reasons we are skeptical about Dickey and his next contract other teams will be skeptical about acquiring him. I doubt that any GM would give up a young budding star for a 38 year old so I would hold. In order to deal for a prospect it would have to be someone realllllllly high and almost ready. I would also not be willing to trade for a catching prospect. Catchers, even good ones, rarely give more than average offense and this is an area the team needs improvement. I would be trolling for OF’s and also looking for a young high ceiling pitcher to go along with the OF’r.
If you can’t get WRIGHT to agree to a contract on your terms than trade he and RA both. If you sign Wright to an extension, You sign RA to an extension. The package deal is true. RA should stay only if DW does and vice-versa. It makes zero sense to keep 1 and not the other. ZERO. Either build around both, or tear it apart.
That doesnt make sense though from RA’s standpoint.
If you trade Wright in a 3 way deal and get back Jurickson Profur or Manny Machado + maybe a reliever or 2…
you move Tejada to 2B, Murphy to 3B and you just helped improve your defense, at a lower cost frankly without sacrificing that much on offense ( at least from July – October )
From David’s standpoint, yes i agree. RA is simply much more irreplaceable than David
Look. Unless the Mets are overwhelmed.. they wont trade him. CY Young Award winners or not.. everyone thought no one would get anything for Beltran and Sandy pulled away with Zack Flippin Wheeler. I trust Sandy when it comes to this kinda stuff. Sandy will sign an extension if a Travis D’arnaud or a Devin mesoraco Isn’t offered.
Would you trade Dickey to the Reds for Mesoraco and Hamilton/Cozart? Maybe we throw in a prospect or two? Dickey with Puello or some other prospect? Give em Cecchini as a PTBNL?
I strongly believe if these two aren’t involved in a trade with Dickey.. Sandy wont pull the trigger
Beltran was the top trade bait in 2011. Flipping a burger would’ve been more difficult
“everyone thought no one would get anything for Beltran and Sandy pulled away with Zack Flippin Wheeler”
you’ve got to be kidding me… Beltran was top trade bait for many teams.. Including the braves. we were looking for high top prospects from many org. we wanted brown from the giants, but they settle on giving us a guy who was a walking machine in single A for them. can we stop this nonsens for a second?!
Gary Brown will be interesting this year…
he hit awesome in A+ ball ( at age 23 )
he had a OK year at AA ( at age 24 )
The fact that at age 24, he isnt even being discussed for a position on the MLB team is not a good sign for him.
Next year he will be 25…and at AA…
if he has a bad year…his stock drops ALOT
Too many variables to say whether he should or should not be traded. Is he asking too much. I agree 3/$36M is about the max guaranteed. Does he require a 4th and will not move on it? If that is the case, then trading is a greater option. However, what is being offered out there? Does any team really value him that greatly? That is the question.
I am not a fan of the do we trade this guy or not trade him? It all comes down to the deal. That is why everyone should be “available”. Even the untouchables should be touchable. (need we bring up FMart). Dickey is a valuable piece. It comes down to who is he more valuable to: the Mets or someone else. If the someone else will pay dearly then send him packing.
agreed
I’ll second that.
All we can do is speculate b/c right now we have no idea what Dickey might be asking for and what Dickey might bring on the trade market.
Hi Joe,
I agree with Joe Spector when he wrote: “We NEED to have something to be proud of, badly and R.A.’s success really personifies what it means to be a Met. ”
There is such a thing as heart and intregity and even that – when combined with performance – no longer seems to have a place in the big business world of baseball on all three sides – owners, players and FANS as well (could one imagine this trade talk a generation or so ago?) It’s winning at all costs with little regard to how that is achieved.
Remember what happened to another Cy Young Award winner Sparky Lyle? After the Yankees great closer won it in 1977 and helped give the Yankees their first world’s championship in 15 years, Steinbrenner rewarded him by signing free agent Goose Gossage and demoting Lyle to what was then considered middle relief. Why? Because the Boss was obsessed with having a superstar at every position.
Doesn’t the fact that R.A. is doing everything one would want of a player – and way moreso as a human being – count for anything anymore? Can’t we find other ways of re-building without tearing apart one who is indeed the heart and soul of this organization?
If you want creative trades that build for the future, this is who you trade.
Are we really about to trade a reigning Cy Young? Bank on it. ‘Nuff said.
4 yrs at 40 million, or 3 years at 33 million with 3 or 4 million buyout for 4th. I heard that amount on WFAN yesterday and think 4/40 is a very good deal.
“NYMets945 – Dickey should stay and be the ace and another face of this franchise for the Mets, but only if he agrees to a 2-year deal following this season.”
I agree with you on this point.
You know I tend to believe if we were going to trade Dickey we would have already.
I bet Sandy shopped him, everyone heard the rediculous price he was asking and gave a resounding don’t call us we will call you!
I’m sure he will try again if he resigns Dickey to an extention because then he might get more but I still bet he won’t get what he asks for and not even close to what people seem to think is going to make this team better in the future.
At best you get two AVERAGE MLB players who fill temporary holes and will need replacing later on.
I would trade RA Dickey as quickly as possible. He is very very unlikely to be able to produce on a long term basis. He is much more likely to just have one great year and go back to being pretty good to mediocre. The team will never get more for him than they can right now and could use a great trade to build up a roster of young players. Signing an old guy to the team is not going to help in the long term and any smart team builds for the future not for the present. No smart team is going to sign Dickey to 4 years. 2 years would be maybe ok but even that is a risky contract.
If the right deal materializes for the Mets they must seriously think about moving Dickey,more then liklely they are a couple of years away from contending they need eveyday players not a rotating cast.Unless the Mets go to signing top of the line FA or have 5 tool players in there minor leagues they do not have any other way to go but a trade.Its not to often that the Mets hold all the winning hands lets hope that they do not fold.