It’s funny I am excited – yet I am sad. I am pumped – yet I feel guilty for feeling this way. If you haven’t guessed what this is about then you have not been following Mets news over the past week or so. If you have, you know that the Mets have been actively shopping the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, R.A. Dickey. The Mets have been engaed in trade talks with the Toronto Blue Jays since Friday.
As of last night both teams as well as their collective fan bases have been waiting with bated breath for this trade to be finalized . If all reports are correct the Mets will send Dickey along with catcher, Josh Thole and a yet to be determined minor league player and the Mets are to receive stud catching prospect. Travis d’Arnaud, back up catcher, John Buck, as well as the Blue Jays number 2 prospect, Noah Syndergaard and a as yet unnamed minor league player.
If the trade goes down it will be a win/win situation for both teams. The Jays will solidify an already impressive pitching staff with Dickey, and Thole will be his primary backstop.The power hitting d’Arnaud will most likely be the Mets Opening Day catcher, while Buck will serve as his backup and Synergaard will most likely start the season in high A ball.
It is funny though when I read the comment section of this as well as other blogs, Facebook and Twitter, I sense an excitement and fervor that this fan base hasn’t felt since the Mets were able to obtain Johan Santana from the Twins as wll as the tense 3 days that followed to hammer out a new contract for him. I remember compulsively refreshing Metsblog every 5 minutes frantic to get updates on the situation. I must admit I have found myself returning to this behavior pattern since Friday night. I have spoken to other bloggers about this and they feel the same way. This is an important trade that will hopefully help put this team on a faster track to success.
I have said this repeatedly since the season ended around 2 months ago, I love Dickey – he has been nothing short of the perfect Met. He has always found the time to talk to me as well as my fellow bloggers when we attended events, and he has been a very important cog over the past 3 years. But sometimes you have to trade a great player in order to get better. R.A is just one man on a team of 25 – and he pitches once every 5 days. The Mets are filling a gaping hole behind the plate and hopefully with some of the money the team is saving by deferring part of David Wright and the recently released Jason Bay’s contract will allow them to get a decent starting outfielder.
I cannot predict the future, but I feel that if deal does go down – it along with the Beltran for Wheeler trade from 2 years ago will be the cornerstone moves that will bring this team back to contention.
And with that said… HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!
Mets alumni celebrating a birthday today includes:
Fork balling relief pitcher from ’82-’85, Tom Gorman is 55 (1957).
Reserve outfielder from the ’90 season, Chris Jelic is 49 (1963).
Reserve outfielder from the ’95 and ’96 seasons, Chris Jones is 47 (1965).
The New York Mets signed free agent Rusty Staub of the Texas Rangers on December 16, 1980. And all was right and pure in the universe.
The New York Mets traded starting pitcher, Charlie Puleo, minor league outfielders, Lloyd McClendon and Jason Felice to the Cincinnati Reds for future Hall of Fame pitcher, Tom Seaver on December 16, 1982. I was almost 12 when I saw ” The Franchise” make his triumphant return to Shea Stadium as a Met.In my opinion it righted a lot of wrongs that the previous Mets front office inflicted on the fan base.
The New York Mets signed free agent reserve outfielder, Jim Lindeman on December 16, 1993.
The New York Mets signed free agent reserve outfielder, Rick Parker on December 16, 1993.
The New York Mets signed free agent reliever, Doug Linton on December 16, 1993.
The New York Mets signed free agent reliever, Jonathan Hurst on December 16, 1993.
The New York Mets signed free agent outfielder, Rickey Henderson on December 16, 1998. Rickey had a uneven career as a Met. Yes he was a catalyst on theclub, but his off the field attitude was less than desirable
The New York Mets traded outfielder, Tsuyoshi Shinjo and utility infielder, Desi Relaford to the San Francisco Giants for starting pitcher, Shawn Estes on December 16, 2001.
The New York Mets signed free agent reliever, Mike Stanton of the New York Yankees on December 16, 2002.
The New York Mets signed free agent starting pitcher, Pedro Martinez of the Boston Red Sox on December 16, 2004. This was the beginning of the Omar Minaya era and Pedro’s signing was Omar’s first shot of bringing credibility back to the franchise.
The Florida Marlins signed utility infielder, Wilson Delgado of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 16, 2004.
The Kansas City Royals signed first baseman, Doug Mientkiewicz of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 16, 2005.
The Toronto Blue Jays signed middle reliever, Lance Broadway of the New York Mets as a free agent on December 16, 2009.
Mo Vaughn’s a Pepper – wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper too ?!?
6 comments
TX
12/16/2012-8:08am at 8:08 am (UTC -4)
100% agreed. A potentially worse record is on tap this year, but optimism is on the upswing.
Also, was wondering this myself, and read it several times in comments are the blogosphere. What’s the possibility that TDA starts in AAA until both he and Wheeler get the call up once they won’t be eligible for super2 status?
Stick
12/16/2012-11:53am at 11:53 am (UTC -4)
I don’t think it will make much difference. Record should be in the same range (and really, 72 instead of 78 is insignificant). And I said a few times that yes, this would be looking toward 2014 and 2013 is punted/a rebuilding year/whatever you want to call it.
But bottom line, if they keep Dickey instead, the odds of 2013 being a good (playoff) year are pretty long.
srt
12/16/2012-9:14am at 9:14 am (UTC -4)
‘It’s funny I am excited – yet I am sad.’
My sentiments exactly, Rusty.
If not for practically giving away draft picks during the latter part of Omar’s regime and some bad signings, we’d likely be enjoying Dickey until his retirement. That and the fact that the Mets are broke. Perfect storm coming together is what resulted in this trade.
He’s one of those rare finds that only come along once in a great while. Took a chance (and have to give credit where credit is due to Omar), late bloomer, a bargain and a fan favorite.
The smear campaign by the Wilpons is so eerily similar to Young and Seaver. Y’all know how I feel about this ownership and this just justifies my dislike even more.
We should be enjoying our CY award winner for years to come. Instead, we’re having to sell to the highest bidder.
If only Selig just let circumstances play out, we might be enjoying new ownership right now AND Dickey taking the mound for us on Opening Day.
Damn….
Stick
12/16/2012-11:56am at 11:56 am (UTC -4)
I didn’t even bother to read any of that stuff yesterday. why aggravate myself, right? I have no clue how much is really them, and how much was a media guy “running” with something and blowing it up for attention. No real need to do anything but take the high road, since if they are getting a big name back, the fans aren’t going to kill them for this anyway.
Stick
12/16/2012-11:49am at 11:49 am (UTC -4)
This is still going on? My lord, just do it or can it, but this has gotten ridiculous. It seems like other deals never hit the rumor mill until they are already done, and then they are complete before the dust settles.
Wasn’t the big Toronto/Miami deal done by the time it even popped up? Or very quickly after.
I hate the owners of this team and how the operation it run. But I guess we are stuck with that.
but I have to say, if it happens as expected, I am really excited by the prospects. Especially that synergies guy. He has serious upside.
I also figure that if it happens, it really set them up to trade some of the arms (hopefully the right ones!) for some bats. Pitching is the key of course, but you have to have balance.
srt
12/16/2012-11:57am at 11:57 am (UTC -4)
‘I hate the owners of this team and how the operation it run.’
Truer words were never spoken.
Reading reaction from Jays fans. They are not happy giving up these rumored prospects. In fact, they’re not believing AA will do this. They’re claiming ‘all sources’ so far are NY writers so it’s our FO leaking any and all details – some not true – to force his hand.
Ah….the time of reckoning is almost here.