7
2012
Looking More Like Dickey Stays A Met Without An Extension
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Updated Post 11:00 AM
Ken Davidoff sums it all up like this:
As we leave R.A. Dickey’s hometown, let’s rank his list of admirers, from big fans down to skeptics.
1. R.A. Dickey
2. The New York Mets
3. The 29 other Major League Baseball teams.
That’s where things appeared to stand as the Mets and the rest of baseball packed up their laptops, slide projectors and blazers and headed home to their respective quarters.
Sandy Alderson once again said yesterday going the middle road with Dickey — taking him into his free-agent season of 2013, as opposed to trading him or signing him to an extension — is not “necessarily the optimal result.” Yet because of the way Dickey is viewed by himself, the Mets and the rest of the industry, it may be the most sensible result.
“If that’s the one that ultimately transpires,” Alderson said, “then we may be happy with it.”
That was a far-fetched option two weeks ago, but it’s one I’ve been leaning toward since then. Why do I feel that way? A few reasons:
- Alderson want’s far too much in return for him. A difference maker or two top prospects, not one.
- Other teams are as afraid of trading for Dickey as the Mets are in extending him.
- Most teams still view the knuckleball as a gimmick pitch and don’t want to be the ones holding the bag if his performance goes the other way.
- Dickey is 38 years old and while his elbow is out of the woods in terms of breakdown, his shoulder and the rest of his body isn’t.
- Dickey is still a rental, and teams will not trade seven years of their number one prospect for one year of a knuckleballer. Desperation deals don’t go down in December, they happen in July. Mets could probably get more by waiting until then.
Original Post 10:15 AM
I guess other teams must be wondering why any team would trade a reigning Cy Young Award winner, God knows I frequently ask myself that question. But here is what the the Dallas Morning News believes is the reason:
In trying to find starting pitchers to plug into their rotation, the Rangers have been connected to reigning NL Cy Young winner (and former Ranger) R.A. Dickey in the last week.
Dickey, who’s entering the final year of his deal with the Mets, could be traded despite having just been named the NL’s top pitcher in 2012. The Mets don’t seem to be ready to compete just yet, and Dickey, at 38, may not play long enough to see the team make it back to relevancy.
Wow, they don’t think we’d be relevant even by 2015… Is that what other teams are thinking?
Yesterday, ESPN’s Keith Law said the Phillies deal for Ben Revere made no sense for the Phillies because “they robbed Peter to pay Paul”, Law wrote. “Now instead of a vacancy in the outfield they have a vacancy in the rotation.”
Isn’t that exactly what the Mets are trying to do by trading R.A. Dickey? Only if losing Vance Worley is a vacancy, than losing a Cy Young winner must be a cataclysmic, life sucking, black hole.
I mention it because the day before, Law weighed in on Dickey for Myers calling it a nice deal for all parties involved.
Is a little consistency too much to ask for from a $500K a year national journalist?
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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why wouldnt he play long enough to see mets relevancy? With the pitching they have, they should be relevant by 2014. This team is not that far off.
Because it isn’t just “be good in 2014″. It’s be good for years after that. It is about breaking a cycle of good for 1 or 2 years, then going back to being a laughing stock for the rest of the decade.
So, ya, Dickey could put the team over the top in 2014. But what about 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 etc etc?
Not sure that the Phils have much in the minors as far as major league ready or almost major league ready prospects. The Mets do in Wheeler.
I really hope they can get something of worth for Dickey (OF), and then sign Lannan to be the 5th starter/2nd lefty in the rotation. That should cover the rotation for this year and with Wheeler knocking on the door and McHugh & Company in the wings, I think the team will be OK.
And in a perfect world, you don’t need to trade Dickey or Niese. But we aren’t in that perfect world.
So you’re saying that Dickey is easier to replace than Worley? I dont even think Wheeler will be up before August and you have him on the opening day rotation and as a replacement for our ace? I hear those oil fumes in Texas can play tricks on the brain.
I see Wheeler being on a June program.
I am pretty sure that TX has mentioned if you trade Dickey you have to go get a Lannan type and hope the offense that you net for Dickey makes up for the difference in pitching.
Well couldn’t the Phillies go after Lannan too? It’s not as big a concern when your top three starters are named Halladay, Lee and Hamels. I still say it’s the fumes.
Oh sure they could and I expect them to.
I think we are still getting confused where these two teams are on their organizational calendars.
Considering that the Phils gave up their 2nd rated prospect (a pitcher) and Worley, who is almost on par with Niese, for a speedster OF with no pop, their only real option is to go out and find a Lannan or another type pitcher. They need to do that because they don’t have a pitcher waiting in the wings (or at least my limited knowledge of their farm system tells me). The Mets, on the other hand, have a top prospect in Wheeler who will join the rotation at some point this year.
And no, Worley is not on par with Dickey, but considering that Dickey will/should bring a return much better that Revere for the OF combined with the depth/pitchers in waiting, I do think that the Mets can weather the storm of losing Dickey better than the Phils can by thinning out their rotation.
And honestly, how can you currently compare the Mets and Phillies situations in where they are in terms of development?
You can’t.
Worley is a good pitcher. Not great, but good. After the big 3, there isn’t a whole lot on that Phil’s staff.
True, what I am saying however, is that the Phillies are in win now mode and have an older roster. They needed an OF and went and got one. While I think they vastly overpaid, that is why they vastly overpaid. The Mets on the other hand are in a different position. They might need to trade Dickey not to compete this year but to ensure they can compete in the future.
After the Big 3? If the Mets lose Dickey what do we call the Mets situation the the Big 0? Lets keep purging our best players for more unproven prospects, that’s the way to win right? SMH
Maniac, at some point we have to give to get. You can’t fix all those OF holes in FA and we have no one in the upper minors even close.
Maybe I’m the crazy one, but Alderson created those holes in the outfield by trading Beltran and Pagan. That’s all Alderson has done since arriving, making more holes than what he inherited. Why cant you see that? We are at an all-time low for the 2000′s, worse than before Minaya took over.
I think the Pagan deal backfired but it’s not like they would have signed him for 4/40 anyway. The Beltran deal? Like they really had a choice. No way in hell was he re-signing and at the time they most likely couldn’t have afforded him anyway. What makes you think he would have chosen staying with the Mets fiasco instead of bolting for the Cards?
I understand your frustration, but like TRS is saying above, we are not at the same point with the Phils.
He would be the third lefty unless Niese or Santana is removed from the picture.
True true. For some reason I seem to forget about Santana. I guess I’m already in 2014 mode.
That’s the wrong Sandy you have pictured. That’s the Sandy from Spongebob Squarepants.
Not knowing the Phili farm system I imagine his statement comes from two reasoning’s. The Phils are still trying to win now while the MEts are building to 2014 and beyond and the Mets desperately need power and have replacements making their way up into the rotation.
That would mean punting three years in a row. NICE!
Of course it would mean not going for it all in 2013. They never planned on going for it all anytime before 2014. We all know that.
People need to stop using Wheeler as an excuse to trade Dickey.
Wheeler is the guy who replaces that 25Mil per one time Ace whose shoulder is being held together with spit, tape and a prayer.
There is no doubt that Wheeler can easily replace and improve on Santana….
But it would be foolish to think he is going to come out of the minors and get close to 20 Wins the way Dickey can.
I agree with those who believe we won’t be competing in the next three years of a Dickey contract but thats not because of Dickey it’s because of thier insistence on a 100M Payroll that is rediculous to insist upon in a market like NY.
NYC is a Broadway town, Dinner Theater just doesn’t sell here!
They need to sign Dickey and then bite the bullet and spend on a cornerstone RHH OF and then all those predictions of nothingness for the next 4 years go away!
Cause we will have the pitching, we will have the Heart of the Lineup and Power threats and we already have enough decent players to fill in the rest of the spots knowing that we have that productive lineup the signing of Bay was supposed to maintain but didn’t.
So all these prediction on how far away we are all presume that 100M is the only payroll we are allowed to have.
And thats patently false!
It’s a choice we are making so in essence we CHOOSE TO SUCK for 4 more years all because we love money more than competitive baseball.
Why not? M. Donald Grant used Ed Glynn as an excuse for trading Tom Seaver. #FlushingFlash
“I agree with those who believe we won’t be competing in the next three years of a Dickey contract but thats not because of Dickey it’s because of thier insistence on a 100M Payroll that is rediculous to insist upon in a market like NY.”
I will say to you exactly what I wrote in a post last night…
Next year will be the year I judge Sandy Alderson. when no money on payroll will be Omar money and the team is 100% his. Next year is when we see what Sandy really has planned. I will judge Sandy on Feb 1, 2014. If it is the same as it is now and the last two years, then I will jump on Alex’s wagon.
People just don’t want to admit that the Mets aren’t going anywhere in 2013. Unless you plan on getting a championship catcher, three championship outfielders, and a championship bullpen, all with less than 20 million dollars.
The days of 140 million dollar payrolls are over until they start winning again. Phillies payroll didnt go up until they started winning. Rangers payroll didn’t start to go up until they started winning. Giants payroll didn’t start to go up until they started winning. Winning comes first. The BIG payrolls come second. You can’t name me one other team this century that has started spending big when they were LOSING and then won.
People think it’s supposed to be different here because “this is new york”, as if the rules of economics don’t apply here. If I hear “this is New York” one more time I’m gonna vomit. The Mets are not the Yankees. No one is the Yankees. The Yankees are in a world of their own. You’re talking about the most popular sports franchise in the WORLD. If you think the Mets are supposed to act like the Yankees you are delusional. The Mets need to do it like every other team not named the Yankees did it in the last ten or so years. Stop thinking we can be different because “this is New York”. Thank god we finally have a GM here now that actually realizes this and also understands the concept of value.
Delusional.
i remain convinced that the Mets will make a big trade before year-end: either RA or Niese for major prospect(s). It’s either RA to TX or Niese to KC.
I’m hoping LA gets Greinke & Shields carries too high a price in prospects for TX to agree to…and RA goes to TX for Olt + Font.