Debby Wong-USA Today Sports
This past couple weeks for the New York Mets leading up to the New Year, have been in one major league move, simply outstanding. By trading knuckle ball pitcher R.A. Dickey to the Toronto Blue Jays for what some might call the best catching prospect and a very good right hand power pitcher, the Mets made their one and only major trade of the year.
Hopefully the acquisition of Travis d’Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard will provide the key pieces moving forward for 2014 and beyond and help the Mets get back to respectability. GM Sandy Alderson has the track record of winning in this league with payrolls that are limited and talent that was plucked from the trenches.
But it is the small moves that Alderson has been making this off-season that may leave fans scratching their heads. On Thursday, he traded for a 27 year old left-handed pitcher from the Blue Jays, Aaron Laffey. The skinny on Laffey is that he is good through the batting order once, and is susceptible to a lot of base runners(13) through nine innings. The one good thing is that he is a ground ball pitcher, who would benefit from the Mets good infield defense. Laffey was 4-6 with a 4.56ERA in 22 starts for the Blue Jays last year, and also gave six relief appearances, and just might be a versatile asset, if you don’t expect a long outing.
Other moves the Mets made were trading for OF Collin Cowgill, who is nothing more than a fifth or sixth option, signing RHP Greg Burke, who last made an appearance in 2009 for the San Diego Padres, and signing SS Josh Rodriguez, who is 28 and nothing more than a minor leaguer that will act as insurance for Ruben Tejada.
Maybe it is just me, but Alderson has been making these moves that do not seem to bolster anything but their system of so-so players that will have an invite to spring training, but will not crack the opening day roster. Other than the Dickey trade and the David Wright signing, the winter has been very bland for the Mets. I understand that 2013 is going to be a lost year, even though no one in the organization will ever tell us that.
But it is the future starting in 2014, when fans can begin to get excited again. So even though this off-season has been almost laughable, keep your heads up, Mets fans, and always believe in better days ahead!
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