18
2012
Sandy Alderson Gets His Man… And Then Some
An article by 
Patience is a virtue. That certainly applies to the patience of Mets GM, Sandy Alderson, who once again proved his critics wrong this weekend when he secured a windfall of popular prospects from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for reigning Cy Young Award winner, RA Dickey, and his personal catchers, Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas. In doing so, Alderson waited out both the starting pitching market and the limits of the fan base’s collective sanity, cashing Dickey in at the absolute peak of his value and in the process, pushed the Mets forward towards their ultimate goal building a core of young, promising talent.
Sandy’s man, as I’m sure you’ve heard is Travis d’Arnaud, who is widely considered the best catching prospect in all of baseball. Despite a season ending knee injury, it wouldn’t be surprising to see d’Arnaud break camp with the Mets come April, instantly bolstering the team’s roster at catcher. Hitting for both power and average, while at the same time being considered above average defensively, d’Arnaud has the potential to solidify the Mets backstop needs for the foreseeable future. If you ask most MLB General Managers, Travis d’Arnaud may have been too much to offer all by himself, but Sandy Alderson wasn’t done.
As a result, the Blue Jays’ number one pitching prospect, Noah Snydergaard, will also head south of the border and join the strong crop of young, hard throwing pitchers the Mets already have at the Single A level. Although he may not find his way to the majors until sometime during the 2015 season, Snydergaard’s inclusion in this deal is the perfect example of Sandy Alderson maximizing what he has to work with. For the second time in two years, Alderson pulled off a trade that no one thought was possible by waiting until what seems like the last possible minute to get things done.
Throw-ins on the deal also include backup catcher, John Buck, who will serve as a place holder for d’Arnaud if he isn’t ready for the start of the season, and eighteen year old Wuilma Buerra, who will look to come back from a broken jaw as a result of being struck in the face by a rogue pitch. Neither play a major factor in the balance of this deal, but they do represent just how much value Alderson was able to squeeze of our Dickey’s Cy Young season.
Like him or not, these types of deals are the reason Sandy Alderson was brought to Queens, and will be the reason he remains in Queens if he so sees fit. Hamstrung by a reduced cashflow, only now, entering his third season as team General Manager can the hints of the master play start to take shape. With two months remaining before Spring Training, his work certainly isn’t done if he hopes to field a semi-competitive team in 2013. However, regardless of how this upcoming season plays out, Sandy Alderson has put several more pieces in play for what could be a promising young team in 2014 and beyond.
Follow me on Twitter at @RobPatterson83
About the Author: Rob Patterson
Ultimately, I owe nearly thirty years of Mets related torture to my mother, who is the reason I became a fan. I was too young to remember the 86 run, but hope to see one I'll be able to recall much sooner than later. I enjoy writing about the team and welcome your feedback on my posts. Oh..and I am not with 28!
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Oh my god… You have got to be kidding me……..
Is there any specific reason why you are constantly crying? This is literally the best thing that could have come out of this. If Dickey breaks 12 wins next year, it will be because of his team. This year was a fluke. We didn’t lose him and get nothing in return and we arent paying him a ridiculous amount. He is happy. The Mets are happy. Pull the tears back a bit.
I get the gloating is a little too much for you, it was a bit much, but his premise is correct. If you are not going to build around a Cy Young pitcher and try and win some games, it was a good trade on paper.
I am actually interested in the kid Wuilma Buerra
http://jaysjournal.com/2012/11/19/2013-top-prospects-30-wuilmer-becerra/
For trade fill in’s I’ll take a 18 year old with upside any day.
Dang Salty, you could at least spell his name right. It’s in your link <<>>>.
I too am very curious about the kid. He was playing rookie ball last year as a 17 year old and while he didn’t play in a lot of games he really held his own. I also wonder, why him? That’s someone that I am guessing that wasn’t around when JP was so it could have been someone the Mets had working out in their facility that signed with the Jays instead?
Take it up with the author of the article I copied and pasted it from above.
I was just busting you due to previous circumstance on TRDM… LOL.
I know… And I got him back on one of his articles pretty good and wrote to him directly but for some reason he never replied back.
LOL, I thought the entire thing was hilarious until it took the sandy v… turn.
What!?! That was the best part.
Yeah, but then instead of sitting back and eating popcorn I had to do my job
I’m thinking the pitch to the face/broken jaw thing is a part of getting ride of such a talent as a throw-in. The pitch to the face CAN ruin a batter’s career due to the physical and psychological damage.
Nonetheless, I’m happy the Mets got him and in the process shipped off the 2nd lame catcher they had.
I haven’t read any thing really about him so thanks for bringing that up. I will take a peek at the link now.
The same thought process applies to Wright. Unless you are actually going to surround him with other PROVEN BOPPERS. You made a 138 million dollar GAMBLE ( on attendance levels ) not an INVESTMENT
I was all in for the trade, i’ve been advocating trading him and DW, however, was there a need for all this amazing sucking up to SA? We’ve had 2 straight losing seasons and counting under this man, he’s done a terrible job to say the least as a GM, we’ve lost 4 All Stars and all we’ve gotten in 3 years is 3 kids in the minors that while having ceiling and lots of upside and talent they all 3 may well end up being bust for us.. All this gloating is ridiculous for a guy who’s done nothing.. I love the move, needed to be done, we’re in rebuilding mode and after the first 2 years they are somewhat admitting it, but when an article like this come out you can’t help but wonder if some of this people root for the mets or SA the person… SMH
There may be some that root for SA, I have no idea. Personally I really don’t care who the GM is, never have. You at least know that because I supported Omar vs your attacks against him back in the day.
However, is it not possible for both groups to give him credit for this deal? Let the ones that love him have their moment and just agree with them for one day for one moment he got something right?
This is where your disdain for Sandy does not allow you to read what was written. Besides these two trades I am not happy about anything else this organization has done to the team. The only priority is to get that payroll down, not to win. But the trade was good if you don’t want to win and that is what the article was about. Yes, his praise exuberant, but it was only focused on the trade itself and not past history.
You said the trade is good, so you are admitting that Sandy did a good job HERE. So leave it at that. There will be plenty of time to kill the guy when he signs some scrub to fill the outfield, or a guy with a dead arm to go in the pen.
“There will be plenty of time to kill the guy when he signs some scrub to fill the outfield, or a guy with a dead arm to go in the pen.”
Exactly.
Will there???? You of all people should know that every move that sandy makes no matter how bad is it will have its supporters here who no matter what, wanna see their sabermetric lord suceed at all cost.. That is why asinine articles about eamus and his OBP and how he had a good day were being written.. You should know the man has his supporters back on full defense mode again after acquiring yet another minor leaguer for yet another All Star as if that’d be a no brainer..
Alex, did you like the trade or not? Do you think he got the maximum amount for Dickey that he could get?
The end.
Again, I like the trade, my problem is how all of the sudden we’re supposed to forget how inept he’s been the pst 2 seasons, and how horrible more than likely we’ll look again this season.. And another thing, i am not one of your little followers in the desert who will take your computer sassyness ok, make sure you remember that when replying to me.. i won’t nr will nor have ever took your SH** ok. The End
LOL, computer sassyness. Would you call your’s computer garbage?
Sigh… Moving on, have no desire to be wasting my time with you. like i said, i am not one of your little followers in the desert who would obey anything you say, if you feel like that’s the end of a conversation i am having and i am gonna obey you’re way off.. i got a problem with this article because it shows that these sabergooners don’t wanna see the mistakes nor will point out the flaws the GM has.. Had a good day my ass..
But don’t you think your comments also show that the Sandy detractors will never give him credit even when he does something good?
I mean seriously, where in this article does the author say… “Sandy is great and all of his moves are perfect, he is the best GM of all time”? It looks to me that he is giving him credit where credit is due.
Ok, if criticizing the man for being inept and a horrendous GM is a detractor then sign me up… And, please read again and see where i like the trade since i told you.. now, is the gloating necessary?
Well lets see, considering you and others come here and harp on every move he has made that you didn’t like, day after day after day after day after day after day…. then yeah I would imagine it would still be ok to talk about how good of a move this was the day after.
So wait, after hearing someone YOU know very well complain day after day after day about the wilpons and them having no money, would it be ok to applaud them for signing the golden boy? Any move has to be looked at from all angles, and while i said the move was good, you can’t help but wonder if the mets also got hosed, after all they got a catcher with back and knees issues already… No?
Who is regarded as either the best or 2nd best catching prospect in the majors as well as netting a good arm to pair with Fulmer and company in the lower levels.
You cannot be seroius… Do you want me to give you how many highly regarded propects become BUSTS? While i like the trade and like d’Arnaud, all i said was that you cannot help to WONDER if maybe the trade was made also because the kid has had injuries throughout his career in the minors so far.. Wanna know who was touted to be great but derailed by injuries? Fmart and Havens… Yep, just cross your fingers this Catcher with back and knee issues doesn’t become a bust.
Of course prospects can become bust, but if you think that the Jays have some inside info and traded him to stick the Mets? When GM’s across baseball have said the guy was nuts? It really doesn’t even matter what the Jays thought of him. The fact is they refused to include him in a number of deals and ultimately due to Sandy being patient and asking for the moon Sandy was able to acquire him. Again, that’s a good thing for once in a sea of bad for the last 4-5 years.
I’m all for the trade … and I’ve been really down on SA. I was neutral on him for a while as I couldn’t figure out if he was really following any kind of plan.
Then he just sat idly watching their collapse last July. He didn’t sign half of their draft picks while saying they were building a foundation. I still think he has no heart for the team and what makes him worse are all of his contradictory statements.
Nonetheless, as fans, we need to get beyond who the GM is and hope this next deal is at least a Cody Ross type player or better. I’ve scanned both MLB and MiLB FAs and I can’t find one that is worth anything.
If it’s not Ross, then it will have to be a trade and I would guess we’ll see a young arm or 2, maybe even Murphy, on the move.
LOL, Good morning, Alex! I just read this and as much as I’d like to lash out I can because the tone of the post was not in your face gloating.
I *cant
Curious that some although they opening campaigned for Dickey to be traded, and some openly proclaimed that the Mets couldn’t get multiple top prospects in return seem now reluctant to give any credit when things break right. They for sure are ready to blame when things turn out as they expect or predict but on a day like this why can’t the Mets fans be in agreement, for the most part, that this was indeed the best deal the Mets could have gotten for Dickey and more than what anyone expected?
Man up for once and name drop….
Too many to drop Alex. It isn’t all about you. Remember I visit multiple Mets blogs and it’s not just here that the irrational surface. It’s a Mets blog.
Besides, have I ever had any issues calling you out by name when you are being obtuse?
i like the deal,did we all want to keep dickey?sure.should we of?probally not! sell him at his highest value. we arent going anywhere this season.we got a front line prospect pitcher and the best catching prospect in baseball,period.and we got them for a 38 yr old knuckleballer who had a career season,which will not be duplicated.either we traded dickey for these guys or we sign him to a 30 million contract to play for a team that will win 75 games if we’re lucky.it doesnt make sense to keep him and pay him that money
While I love the trade and always felt Dickey should be moved for this type of package, I am looking ahead with much tempered enthusiasm. This being caused by a combination of D’Arnaud’s knee injury and the Mets history of acquiring damaged goods. I guess it’s just part of being a Mets fan.
No one ever wants to see a good guy go, especially one that brought thrills to a dull year in general, this is a great trade for the Mets, there is an upside to everyone we got back in this trade. Not that a HOF plaque will be poured for John Buck, but he is definitely an upgrade of Thole and Nickeas put together.
Is he? He’s been just as bad as Thole offensively.
Last two seasons:
.213 .308 .358 .667
Thole:
.251 .321 .318 .639
Ugh… I guess you can call it an upgrade.
Once upon a time, the Mets converted a field player to catcher. Shortly after his arrival to the BIG leagues, the bullpen sucked worse than any in baseball. The townspeople thought that the relievers just sucked until a portly GIANT names Shoppach arrived.
Suddenly, the townspeople saw a bullpen that gave up less than 5.00 ERs/9 IP. They realized that their homegrown fellar behind the plate really sucked. Unfortunately, their new GIANT Shoppach often seemed to toke his own homegrown before too many games, which resulted in him looking like a buffoon behind the dish and led to him striking out in a third of his ABs. They realized that maybe they should look beyond the border to fulfill their catching needs.
They all lived happily ever after.
Epilogue: The townspeople caught on that the pitching coach also contributed to the bullpen disaster so they got their torches and pitches then proceeded to chase pitching coach out of town.
Well he has a bit more pop – 46 hrs over the past three years
Thole has 7 over past there years
Nickeas has 2
Buck is not really the main piece in this trade, clearly……….
A slight upgrade defensively, and I mean slight. Offensively I give the slight edge to Thole. It’s not an upgrade it’s a wash. Nickeas is better defensive catcher than both of them.
You know, I heard the stuff about Nickeas being a good defensive catcher but he certainly didn’t impress me last year.
Debating the virtues on Nickeas, Thole and Buck is a kin to choosing your method of execution. Shall we go with lethal injection, the electric chair, or the gas chamber? It’s tough decision.
LOL, exactly. There’s a reason they went after TDA.
LOL, what a waste of time.
If not for the money issues, I’m willing to bet both Reyes and Dickey are still Mets.
But it was and still is about the Mets financial issues.
SA stated if he didn’t get what he wanted for Dickey, we’d go into 2013 with him still as a Met. Whether they worked out an extension is anyone’s guess now.
Since he was traded, this is about the best possible return they could have got.
For 10 days AA only had D’Arnaud on the table and SA stood pat. Once Snydergaard was added, it was probably a done deal.
And in addition to Dickey, all we had to give up was Thole and Nickeas.
No matter how you feel about this current FO up until now, this was a good trade.
Most analysts, including other AL execs as well as some scouts have stated the same.
No matter how you feel about this current FO up until now, this was a good trade.
Most analysts, including other AL execs as well as some scouts have stated the same”
Wait, are you praising the FO for the trade, yet when the FO signs somebody trade someone and it turns to be a mistake you blame the wilpons?? How convinient.. Lol.. Agenda much!?!?
This all just sounds like sour grapes to me.
Patience is a virtue, yes. But it depends on what you are waiting for. If you are waiting for minor league success, great, your patience has paid off.
However, if you are waiting for a World Series trophy, 26 years is testing the boundaries of our patience. Making it worse is that the front office has no timeline to give and in fact are still only in rebuilding mode, not a sign of good things to come. If only prospects were locks 100% of the time, instead of busts 60-70% of the time, how much joy there would be in Flushing. But that illustrates the folly of it all.
“Six months after extending Andre Ethier, the Dodgers are considering trading him.
Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/#Gju4YOkBsUGOCUPV.99 ”
Thoughts?
Sounds like they might be making room for Giancarlo Stanton.
Do they have the prospects for that? I mean I don’t expect Either with his contract to get a complete haul and I couldn’t imagine that the package they proposed for Dickey and adding in the return for Either would even be enough to net Stanton. I also think they would rather use those to get a top SP but what’s left?
If the Dodgers chipped in cash would we consider Niese for Either? Man that’s tough.
Niese for Eithier ?!?!
uuhhh no I’ll pass…
You dont trade Niese for anything less than a boatload of prospects that you then ship off to Florida for Stanton.
We NEED a bopper like Stanton + 1 proven defensive CF…1 real good SS with range that can move Tejada over to 2B would also make the cypher complete
I would love Stanton but we aren’t getting him and there aren’t a lot of good OF out there. Ultimately I think I agree that I wouldn’t trade Niese for him. Mostly because of the handeness of both and it would tie up all of our financial resources. However, i am sure it would be considered.
.290 .362 .476 .838 Either
.270 .350 .553 .903 Stanton ( Of course to be noted Stanton is a complete stud who is only 23 years old and Either is 30)
So what I am saying is assuming you can’t get Stanton, which I would say is about 99% certain, what direction should they go in to get at least one MLB OF in the mix?
another lefty with major platoon splits. Just what we need!
I think I agree… bad idea.
I’m still undecided about this trade. I really have a hard time stomaching trading a fine starting pitcher. I know it was the only area the team had to trade from but it is hard to swallow. I am also concerned about D’arnauds back and knee. However, the trade may work out splendidly. I still do not see how this counteracts SA’s critics. If this team is magically in the hunt come July I still do not see him making a move to bolster the team in an attempt to win. Conversely, these trades and holding onto our own young players may eventually lead to a great team. If this happens and the Mets take the franchise to a perennial post season level then I suppose it is time too eat crow. I am skeptical however, because so many teams attempt this kind of building pattern only to be perpetually caught in it. I do not want the Mets to become the Pirates or Royals. I said in another post that if SA lands a good RF’r then I will have to reassess my views on him. This still stands. The offseason is not over and I am not going to count my chickens.
What nonsense! What Alderson did was notify fans that in 2013 and 2014, the Mets will end up in 4th place or worse once again, and maybe with some luck we may see some improvement in 2016 or later. Patience? Mets fans have had decades of patience. This writer cannot possibly be a long suffering Met fan. He’s a lapdog for managment.
Waited until the last possible minute to get things done?
Is if February already? I must have overslept!
You want to talk about being patient fine but lets get this straight Sandy didn’t wait till the last possible moment it’s not like this deal couldn’t happen two or even four weeks from now…
Maybe in those two weeks he gets that OFer he needed to get as opposed to a Catcher that makes the Comp Pick we got for letting Reyes go completely useless….
If we were really PATIENT then we would have insisted and waited to get a Power Hitting RH OF bat for our Cy Young guy and waited for Plawlecki to get through the system to replace Thole…..
Or waited until the Trade Deadline where you can rape a team even MORE because you have more teams who think they are a Pitcher away from winning something who will give you that kid we need.
You ask me this deal sounds more RUSHED than Patient….
They wanted to get rid of Dickey as fast as possible because they didn’t want to pay that extra 6 Mil and were taking media heat from the player over such a small sum.
It’s no coincidence that once Dickey went on air in his Elf suit that is when they decided to take the best offer they could get for him.
Patience and waiting till the last minute my a$$!
“I’m really looking forward to playing with the New York Mets,” d’Arnaud said. “I’ve heard it’s a great organization to be with.”
Who did he hear that from? Maybe Jimmy Rollins?
Well it is a great organization to be with…
If you can’t hit…
Never become a Superstar…
Or expect to get paid well for your performance….
And if you do don’t expect to be around much past your first Arb year and you’ll love it!