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It almost assuredly will not happen in 2013. It may not even be ready to happen in 2014. Regardless, it will happen. The New York Mets fans have this innate ability to believe at all cost in their beloved team. That belief is present in every lost year and rebuilding project and always seems to surface when someone like R.A. Dickey comes out of nowhere.
With the drawn out process of whether or not Dickey was to be a part of the future for the Mets now over, it is obvious that while he may not be wearing the orange and blue pinstripes, the CY Young Award winner was definitely a key piece that has helped build this team for some time. Dickey has agreed to an extension with the Toronto Blue Jays</a, passed his physical, and the deal is now done.
Let me just say that I am a huge fan of Dickey, both for his on the field efforts, and also his off the field presence. He is a role model that has shared his darkest secrets with the public, while living life the right way and proving that no matter what, anyone can succeed with hard work and perseverance.
I also must share that I was also one of “those” Mets fans that understood that the future would be brighter if Dickey was traded for the right pieces. GM Sandy Alderson has now found the right pieces, even though it may take a while to come to fruition. We must be patient once again as fans. We must realize that this trade has now put a couple big pieces in place in order to win, maybe as early as 2014.
The Blue Jays acquired Dickey and catchers Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas in the seven player deal finalized just a short while ago. The Mets in return get a top 20 prospect in C Travis D’Arnaud, C John Buck, RHP Noah Syndergaard and OF Wuilmer Becerra. Buck is a major league ready catcher that will not hit for average, but has some pop in his bat, hitting 12HRs for the Miami Marlins last season. The coup is in getting D’Arnaud, who hits for average, power, and can call a good game from behind the plate.
We might even get a glimpse of him some time after the 2013 MLB All-Star game, depending on how he thrives in Las Vegas. He should be the battery mate for Zack Wheeler, who should also see some major league action later in the year. Another key to this trade is Syndergaard, who was chosen 38th overall in 2010 and is a 6’5″ hard-throwing righty that has been overpowering hitters in Class A ball.
Finally, in Becerra, the Mets can groom another outfielder in their system that, at 18 years old, is a long term project. Now keeping in mind that they only received one major league ready player in Buck, at least Mets fans can be assured that he can be a better defensive catcher than either Thole or Nickeas, and maybe his bat will prove to be more alive in key situations.
In the end, Mets fans will be looking at a rotation that consists of Johan Santana, Jonathan Niese, Matt Harvey, Dillon Gee, and either Jenrry Mejia, Jeremy Hefner or Colin McHugh. That rotation can get the Mets through 2013, until Wheeler is ready to join full-time the following year.
The Mets are exponentially better given the unknowns that could surface this coming year, but Buck and Anthony Recker might prove to be better tandem at the catcher position than the Mets received in 2012. Now, the only other order of business is if Alderson can either sign Scott Hairston or bring in one other outfielder to improve that position.
Although we love Dickey, or hate the fact that the Mets had to make this move, that is all irrelevant now. Either way, the Mets are definitely a better team now, and in the near future with these additions. And all it took was Dickey helping this club one last time.
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