In what has been a difficult season for the New York Mets, the two constants have been R.A. Dickey and David Wright.
And yet, with both players entering the final year of their current contracts (assuming that the Mets will pick up both of their options for 2013), the two players entered Thursday’s home finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates with real questions about whether they’ll play for the home fans again.
Accordingly, the number of people in the stands actually resembled the official announced attendance (the number of tickets sold) of 31,506, while the atmosphere resembled a pre-Madoff one for the Mets and their fans.
Those fans were treated to the very best the 2012 Mets offered; R.A. Dickey won his 20th game of the season, and the Mets beat the Pirates, 6-5. In return, Dickey and Wright received at least a plausible counter to how Citi Field felt for most of the summer to take with them as they weigh their futures this winter.
...In a season when few came to Citi Field—the lowest attendance for the Mets since 2003—and fewer cared, almost no one left, even though the game was over. They know the drill by now; they were cheering their remaining heroes as much as they could in case they, too, disappeared.
Repoz
Posted: September 28, 2012 at 01:00 PM |
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1. RMc and His Roster of Rubbish Posted: September 28, 2012 at 01:25 PM (#4248115)Not that there's anything wrong with that...
What? If Wright or Dickey is gone by opening day it will be a huge surprise. They might not make it through the season, but they'll be back.
(his left leg will be traded)
No, not Chapman or Kimbrel. When you're sitting on your hands during crucial late-game situations as your manager is waiting for a Save Situation, you are not that valuable.
Look, we don't know how the Mets will approach it. But consider it this way: if the Mets are unable to sign Wright and Dickey this offseason, and either believe the two are out of their price range next winter, or simply don't want to take the chance they leave for nothing like Reyes, it makes more sense to trade them this winter (a full season of value, coming off of fantastic 2012s) then in-season (less than full season, possible regression, possible injury).
So if the plan is to trade either, it should probably happen this winter.
Then again, if the plan is to sell every last ticket today, without worrying about tomorrow, then they'll stay. Same is true if the Mets find a way to extend them, which, remember, requires Dickey/Wright to buy in, and the Mets to come up with a large bucket of money.
How able and willing the Mets are to do that should be the determining factor in Sandy Alderson's process. Alas... there are other factors.
I think it's important to remember how much the payroll has shrunk in the last two years. The Mets are spending less than the Minnesota Twins this season. They don't have anyone under contract for the 2014 season other than Niese. At some point, the Mets are going to have money to spend even if they don't have a big-market team payroll. There may be baseball reasons not to sign Wright and Dickey but not having the payroll isn't one of them. How much more are the Mets going to shrink the payroll?
This. Both Wright and Dickey seem to honestly enjoy being Mets. The Mets can afford to pay them and still run a small market budget. Even if you give Wright $20M per and Dickey $12M, they still have a ton of payroll space.
He turns 38 in Oct. Is someone going more than 4/50?
Man, and I thought I was getting old too quickly.
There's no reason the Mets can't match the market price.
Yeah, timing is everything. As it stands, Dickey will be pitching for a paltry $5M in 2013.
Well, no, but if there's a reason they won't, all I mean is that if there's a reason they go $2M or $3M under the next -highest deal, my point was (possibly incorrectly) that it seems Dickey wouldn't have a problem with that. Unless you mean that "market price" is always the highest thing offered.
Well, no, but if there's a reason they won't, all I mean is that if there's a reason they go $2M or $3M under the next -highest deal, my point was (possibly incorrectly) that it seems Dickey wouldn't have a problem with that. Unless you mean that "market price" is always the highest thing offered.
By $2-3M, do you mean 3/42 vs. 3/45? Or do you mean 3/30 vs. 3/40?
I believe Dickey might stay for a few million less in total contract, but if some other team offers $2-3M more p.a., he's gone if the Mets don't match.
He's going to be 38 in Oct. 2012 and a free agent in 2013. There's nothing wrong with what was said.
What would you offer him? Would 4/45 get it done if The Mets rip up the 2013 option?
This is Dickey's one shot at a payday, so he could be risk averse and willing to sign, or, he could think "This is my only chance" and go for every last penny.
I really don't think that he'll get a contract this large. As good as he is, and even as a knuckleball pitcher, he's old. I think it might be an extension that's something like 2 years, $30 million.
By the way, any historical comps for Dickey? Elite 37-39 year old pitchers on the FA market?
Jeez. I'd at least try for 3/36 first. I think you shouldn't really value him as anything but a 2 win player for the second and third years of the deal.
Edit: I'm agreeing with PreservedFish above: 3 years total, 31 million in additional money.
Dickey's 38 and has made 8.6 million in his career from baseball with half of that coming this last year. I imagine he'd be willing to trade future earnings for cash up front. His negotiating position is actually worse than most young guys when they're considering those team-friendly deals.
Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens?
On the other hand, same year, same age, Tom Glavine signed a 4 year deal worth something like $42 million. IIRC the Braves wouldn't go to a 3rd year, the Phillies (?) wouldn't go to a 4th.
*Going off B-R.com, too lazy to search for newspaper articles to confirm.
He also had something weird in his contract where he had like a 10 million dollar bonus for opting out of his previous contract. I remember that distinctly.
Johnson previously (age 39) had signed a 2-year extension with the DBacks also worth about $32 million.
So, anyway, I stick with my claim that Dickey will not sign a contract that's longer than 2 years. And I feel pretty good about that 2 year, $30 million number. Good enough for Maddux, Clemens and Johnson, good enough for Dickey.
So, anyway, I stick with my claim that Dickey will not sign a contract that's longer than 2 years. And I feel pretty good about that 2 year, $30 million number. Good enough for Maddux, Clemens and Johnson, good enough for Dickey.
Really? You're not adjusting at all for the massive amount of money sloshing around the league?
Chapman isn't even the most deserving pitcher on his own team. Johnny Cueto is right there alongside Dickey and Clayton Kershaw for me in terms of deserving candidates. Heck, I would rank Mat Latos ahead of Chapman as well. Cueto and Dicky have similar ERAs (2.83 & 2.69 respectively), RA9s (3.00 & 2.96 respectively), and innings pitched (210 & 227.2 respectively). The question to me is whether the park effects difference (GABP is a hitters' haven; Citi Field is still a pitchers' park per Baseball-Reference.com) makes up for the difference in innings. Of course, Kershaw is right there, too (2.58 ERA, 2.83 RA9, 219.2 IP, similar park adjustment to Dickey). Dickey has the best K/BB ratio, but Cueto has the freakishly low HR/9 (in GABP, no less).
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