20
2012
The Face Of The Franchise Turns 30 Today
An article by 
A very Happy Birthday goes out to third baseman David Wright from all of us at MMO. Yesterday, we honored Wright by making him the first active player to be inducted into the Metsmerized Hall of Fame.
Wright turns 30 today and is all set to begin earning his brand new 8-year, $140 million dollar deal that he signed earlier this month.
The soon-to-be captain of the Mets had some things to say yesterday, when he was asked to comment on the loss of his teammate R.A. Dickey and the overall direction of the team:
“I think it was important for us to get a little bit younger. I think it actually kind of works out well for both sides. You have Toronto, obviously, with their situation, and us with our vision. I spoke to R.A. earlier this morning and he seems to be happy. The players we’ve gotten back, I’ve gotten a chance to speak to them. They’re excited. And I think it fills needs for both sides.”
“The trade fills needs for both sides. Of course, you’re talking about losing a 20-game winner. They’re very difficult to come by. And I know very little about the younger players we got back. But just from what I’ve read, you’re talking about one of the best catching prospects in the game and one of the best pitching prospects in the game. So how can you not be excited about what the future holds with those two plus the [Matt] Harveys and [Zack] Wheelers? So I’m excited about what the future holds.”
I wanted to mention something, that I never got the chance to during the last few weeks. From the very beginning of the offseason, there was a noticeable difference in what R.A. Dickey had to say about extending teammate David Wright as opposed to what Wright had to say regarding Dickey.
Right from the start, Dickey said he wouldn’t sign an extension with the Mets unless the team took care of extending David Wright first, saying it should be the top priority and even calling himself and Wright a package deal.
On the flip-side Wright mostly dodged questions all offseason about Dickey, almost as if he knew the Mets ace was being traded and as good as gone.
Wright of course knew and apparently loved the plan that was laid out for him by Sandy Alderson… At least that’s what he told reporters and what Jeff Wilpon and Alderson both also confirmed early in the process.
Did anybody else get the sense that Wright knew more than the rest of us regarding Dickey’s future, including even Dickey himself?
Anyway, Happy Birthday, kid…
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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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 24 | 18 | .571 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 20 | .535 | 1.5 |
| Phillies | 20 | 23 | .465 | 4.5 |
| Mets | 16 | 24 | .400 | 7.0 |
| Marlins | 11 | 32 | .256 | 13.5 |
Last updated: 05/18/2013
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I wish I was turning 30 today. Or 35. Or even 40.
60 wouldn’t be bad either!
Same here, taskmaster.
Kind of a backhanded Happy Birthday eh Joe.
Eh? Quite possibly.
I’ve been wanting to ask readers that and just never wanted to make an individual post about it. Plus he’s in our Hall of Fame, what other Mets site can boast that? lol
does he get booted out the Hall of Fame if his career takes a nose dive for the next 8 years ?
I wonder if the trade was completed FIRST, if Wright ever signs that contract…especially seeing how the mets have behaved with RA during those negotiations…and even more so watching free-agent Outfielder after Outfielder sign with other clubs as we still have 2 black holes in CF + RF…
Did anybody else get the sense that Wright knew more than the rest of us regarding Dickey’s future, including even Dickey himself?
NO QUESTION!!!!
Maybe that (Trading Dickey) was part of the reason he stayed, part of the plan he was presented. Or maybe he’s a prideful man who wanted $140 mm…
Just like the amount of licks to get to the center of a tootsie pop, the world will never know.
Yea, I definitely got that impression. In fact, I’m sure Wright wanted to know exactly what the near and long term plan for the team was before he committed to spending what is likely to be the remainder of his career with the Mets.
As much as I like Dickey and wish there was a way we could have kept him and gotten better, Wright IS the franchise. The old argument about is it a game or is it a business comes together with a guy like Wright, he satisfies both.
LMAO
Wright is NOT the franchise my friend…
Wright is only the face of a 4th place franchise for the next 8 years.
sounds like you are sure , why dont you bet on it and see where your 8 years forecast leads you …. right , in that case there would something on the line for you . But hey why not making an absurd depressive comment on a mets fan!!!! blog ……
The Braves and Nats are well positioned to stay competitive for the next 5 or 6 years my friend..
Our management wouldnt even consider changing the pitching coach, after 4 out of the past 5 seasons have been horrific for the bullpen.
At this rate, We are going to be LUCKY if we sniff 3rd place
i think the mets will end up between 2nd and 4th in 2013 , and from 2014 on, there will be a long time where we ONLY hit the 1st , 2nd or 3rd place .
the mets will make the playoffs at least 3 times the next 7 seasons
wait…
so after an off-season that saw our team get worse, you think the results will be better?
#YaGottaBereave
i really do , i said BETWEEN 2nd and 4th , sure the 4th place has the best odds , but even then the mets will improve their record at least , i am not only telling you so, i believe so
well, just like back around 12/11, when the flurry of “sandy is doing nothing” posts went up, the off season is not over. At least wait until you see the final product before passing judgement on the entire off season.
2009 the Nationals were 59 – 103
2010 the Nationals were 69 – 93
2011 the Nationals were 80 – 81
2012 the Nationals were 98 -64
In fact, since becoming the Nationals in ’05 they never had a winning season until last year including a 103 lose season 4 year ago. Teams can and do rebuild. Happens all the time. And I like the course we are on.
How anyone can look at the young talent we are amassing and not be optimistic about the direction of the is franchise is a mystery to me.
Right, because none of the players on the Braves or Nats are ever going to age, get hurt, or have bad seasons in the coming years. And Wren and Rizzo are always going to make stellar moves.
I think the Mets are now well-positioned to make a sustained run starting in 2014, if not this year, especially with the added wildcard. The only team in their division that seems to be entrenched as winner is the Nats. I’m not sold on the Braves, especially with the changes in their starting pitching. And, tell me, who on the Phillies scares you anymore, with the possible exception of Halladay. So it’s not like the NL East is imposing anymore. It’s not.
One big caveat is the bullpen. If they don’t significantly improve that, the Mets might be fighting for the Marlins for last place. But if they can fix it, then I don’t see why the Mets can’t be competitive this year.
Angelo.
Why do you take every comment that is not praising the Mets personal?
The fact is the Odds are not in the Mets favor….The Nats are built for the long haul they have both Zimmermans,Harper,Strasburg,Gio,Desmond even Werth locked up for a long while
first of all , leave me alone already, i am not even CLOSE respond to any non-optimistic, its just an stupid comment from you .
and second , nice that you try to show me how much down the table the mets are/will be , yet you only come up with one franchise(Nats) , we ALL know will be a contender for years to come. So one team better as the mets makes it worthless for us to compete??? gimme something real here men
I dont understand what you have against Wright. His record speaks for itself. If a player who holds 14 different franchise records doesn’t not live up to your definition of a franchise player, what does? If it’s the lack of a ring that bothers you, you don’t seem to have a problem with the fact Jose Reyes had no ring either, or Carlos Beltran. Both players that I also hold in high regard. Your message is very inconsistent.
some just dont like everybodys darling , and this with passion
, sad but true
Do you think Don Mattingly was a franchise player during his time with the Yankees?
sure he could knew “more” , like possible 10 other guys , everyone who is close or directly involved , and your franchise boy and capatain SHOULD be one of those , no big deal
5 or 6 years? Nothing is guaranteed that long in sports. teams go up and down all the time, often quicker than expected.
The Phils in 2011 won 100 games. 2012, they had to have a hot finish to get back to .500. T2013? could be in the 70s, could push 100 again.
Braves and nats have some good young talent. Which eventually gets old, moves on, flames out or gets hurt.
all you can do is get the best prjection of talen you can (the “on paper” part), and see how it plays out. More talent = better odds any year, but no guarantee.
I would be surprised if Wright didn’t know a Dickey trade was a strong possibility. When Alderson visited him in VA, he owed Wright no less than full honesty about his plans for the future.
While Wright is probably sad to see Dickey go, like most people (except Davidoff!) he also realizes the trade filled a big hole and set up the Mets well to compete in 2014 and beyond.
Happy Birthday, Dubs!
‘Did anybody else get the sense that Wright knew more than the rest of us regarding Dickey’s future, including even Dickey himself?’
Without a doubt, IMO.
I doubt highly that Wright knew because lets face it Sandy didn’t even know as he struck out in all his attempts to trade him before Wright signed…If not for Toronto finally coming back and offering d’Arnaud there was not going to be ANY deal for Dickey
The only thing you can conclude that Wright may have known was that Dickey wasn’t going to sign an extention unless Wright did which is why he would know that there was no point in mentioning Dickey’s status until his own status was secured.