R.A. Dickey Trade Rumors

R.A. Dickey discusses leaving the Mets and being traded to the Blue Jays

R.A. Dickey wins his 20th gameEarlier today, R.A. Dickey spoke with the New York media for the first time since being traded to the Blue Jays, and about his time in New York and his new start with the Blue Jays, Dickey said:

“I am sad. And I think it’s important for me to grieve leaving New York. I had a proverbial home there. I had a home among fans, I had a home in an organization. I had a lot of success there. I think it’s important for me to be upset about that for a moment before I move on to the next feeling. That next feeling has already arrived for me. I grieved when I needed to grieve, and now I’m so excited I can’t tell you how excited I am to be a part of an organization that is committed to winning and putting a product on the field that the fans can be excited about coming to support, quality guys in the clubhouse. … A lot of people say these things in the beginning of Spring Training . … I think in this particular case, the reason to feel so good is because it’s so true.”

Dickey also basically said:

  • He hopes the trade is good for both sides.
  • He regrets airing his grievances at the team’s holiday party last week, although he felt his emotions were justified.
  • He wasn’t completely surprised the team decided to trade him.
  • He knew he wasn’t coming back to the Mets when Sandy Alderson called him on Saturday to tell him the Jays had been granted a window to negotiate a new deal with him.
  • There were verbal contract offers discussed with the Mets, but nothing ever on paper.
  • He doesn’t think the team smeared him upon his departure from the Mets, and he doesn’t think the story written about him in the New York Post this past weekend is accurate.

For the complete transcript of today’s conference call with reporters, To read more of this story, click here

R.A. Dickey has been traded to the Blue Jays (for details, click here.).

To hear Matthew Cerrone and Vinny Cartiglia talk with other Mets fans about the deal, and what’s next for the Mets, click here…

To subscribe to MetsBlog Radio on iTunes, click here.

Dickey, Thole & Nickeas traded to the Blue Jays

PolaroidTrimmed

The Mets announced tonight that they have traded R.A. Dickey, Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas to the Blue Jays for top C prospect Travis D’Arnaud, veteran C John Buck, Toronto’s top pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard and 18-year-old OF Wuilmer Becerra, which was reported earlier by Jon Heyman for CBSSports.com.

The Blue Jays agreed to pay Dickey $30 million the next three years with a $12 million option for 2016, according to Andy Martino of the Daily News.

To read opinions, details of players, and more, scroll down…

Recap: Sandy Alderson’s conference call about today’s trade

sandy-alderson1Sandy Alderson talked with reporters after the trade was completed, and basically said:

Trading R.A. Dickey had nothing to do with finances. It was purely a ‘baseball decision.’

The offers he made to Dickey to extend his contract were ‘genuine,’ and had Dickey accepted any of them he would still be on the Mets.

In the meantime, the price for pitching escalated, and the demand for Dickey increased, and eventually the trade offer from the Blue Jays outweighed what Alderson expected to get from Dickey over the next two or three seasons.

“We do expect Travis D’Arnaud is very close to the major leagues. And if he doesn’t make it out of spring training, we would expect to see him at some point very soon thereafter, probably in 2013.”

“We do expect to acquire some other players. We recognize we have holes to fill … but we will address those. We certainly are not punting on 2013.”

The team’s popularity and ticket sales will be based on wins and losses, not individuals.

To read a full transcript,  To read more of this story, click here

Matthew Cerrone, MetsBlog.com:

It’s a cold business, but it’s a business. But, even still, Dickey may end up being the first player I actually root for, and go out of my way to watch, as a fan of his, after leaving the organization. I usually cut ties pretty easily, but he’s different. I don’t know why. He always struck me as a normal guy who happens to be really good at one facet of baseball, as opposed to a born-and-bread, entitled athlete trying to act like a normal guy. I admire and respect that in him, and it made him endearing in a way I don’t ever recall seeing before in sports. It’s actually why I’m kind of glad he’s with Jose Reyes now competing against the Yankees. I can root for them both, at the same time, with the same goal. He’s awesome, easy to root for and I hope he continues to have success in life on and off the field.

Now, as for the Mets, hat’s off to Sandy Alderson for working the market (twice in a year and half) to end up getting one of the top pitching prospects (Zach Wheeler) and top hitting prospects) D’Arnaud all for just two players (with expiring contracts) in their late 30s. His goal is to build a new foundation, a new core of players to help create and sustain a winning franchise over the next five to 10 years, and these two kids are going to help that a lot.

I’m excited to know D’Arnaud is joining Wheeler, with this system’s other young pitching, knowing Ike Davis, Matt Harvey, Jon Niese, Ruben Tejada and David Wright are holding up the big-league team. There is still SO much work to be done, but this is a step in the right direction for the right reasons…

Michael Baron, MetsBlog.com:

It’s a bittersweet day. On one hand, I’ll miss rooting for Dickey and watching his story evolve. During an era where there has been more losing than winning, Dickey has served as a distraction to that and gave me something to root for every five days. He has been great since the moment he was promoted to the big leagues early in the 2010, and I happy for him considering all his accomplished.

However, it made a lot of baseball sense to trade him. Let’s face it – the Mets have been terrible, and their record has only gotten worse since he arrived. It’s not his fault – he has performed at a high level. But with R.A. on the roster, this is a 74 win team, at most. They needed to get better – not just for today, but for tomorrow as well. True, there’s no guarantee when acquiring prospects, but as Andy Martino of the Daily News said on WFAN on Saturday, the Minor Leagues are where Major Leaguers come from, and D’Arnaud is a top prospect. That makes this a pretty good bet. It is a sell-high move with a long term goal in mind, and – if the Mets believe they can be better over the long term by doing this – it’s hard to argue against it.

Brian Erni, MetsBlog.com:

This is a conflict of head and heart. d’Arnaud is a major piece, and I think the Mets are very fortunate to get him in a deal without giving up Jon Niese. It’s a unique opportunity to be able to cash in any 38 year old pitcher for a hitter that may well be a part of this lineup for the next 10 years.

That said, it stings to see Dickey walk out the door. There’s no doubt that it’s a tough day. Dickey’s 2012 was one of the most special individual seasons I’ve ever seen a player have in a Mets uniform, and he navigated it with class, integrity, and humility. And that’s key. I don’t think it’s fair to say anything bad about Dickey (the person) as he walks out the door. This is a man that I’ve always found to be humble and appreciative of the opportunity this organization gave him back in 2009. Giving him anything less than our utmost praise wouldn’t be worthy of him. This was about business on both sides, so let’s leave it at that. Farewell, Robert Allen. And may the Force be with you.

How the R.A. Dickey trade went down, rumor by rumor......

11:20 am: The Mets have reviewed the medical reports on Travis d’Arnaud’s knee and are not concerned (Passan, Yahoo! Sports).

9:54 am: The deal is expected to be complete within 24 hours, and Toronto is still hoping Dickey signs an extension with them (Bowden, ESPN).

7:23 am: If this deal goes through, the broad perception in the game is that this is a great deal for the Mets (Olney, ESPN).

9:52 pm: While the deal is not final and the Blue Jays will not complete the deal until Dickey signs a two-year extension, “most of the legwork is done” (Sherman, NY Post).

9:40 pm: The Blue Jays could add cash to the deal or another prospect to cover the cost of Buck’s $6 million salary for 2013 (Sherman, NY Post).

5:34 pm: d’Arnaud is the best catching prospect in baseball, (team official to Star-Ledger).

5:29 pm: d’Arnaud is the best position-player prospect in baseball, (MLB scout to Daily News).

5:15 pm: WFAN’s Ed Coleman said on air that he was told yesterday that this deal may not get finalized until late Sunday.

5:07 pm: There is continued chatter that Thole is in the deal (Martino, Daily News).

3:15 pm: The Mets would send Dickey, and maybe Josh Thole and another player to Toronto, who would send Travis d’Arnaud, John Buck, and top Minor League prospect Noah Syndergaard and another player to the Mets (Puma, NY Post).

12:44 pm: Blue Jays and Mets are still working to finalize a deal; the Jays are willing to include d’Arnaud, but not with Gose; once players are agreed to, Dickey will talk about a contract extension (Heyman, CBS Sports).

12:04 pm: To get d’Arnaud and Gose in the same deal, the Mets need to part with a top prospect (plus Dickey) and Dickey must agree to a contract extension (Griffin, Toronto Star).

11:40 am: Anthony Gose is not a part of the deal, though D’Arnaud is  (Sherman, New York Post).

11:08 am: The Blue Jays will not trade d’Arnaud to the Blue Jays unless Dickey signs an extension. He was reluctant to sign with Toronto yesterday, but there’s confidence he will do it today (Sherman, New York Post).

9:33 am: Travis d’Arnaud and Anthony Gose are involved in the deal, although it’s unclear who else might be involved with both teams (Martino, NYDN).

8:22 am: The Blue Jays want to at least talk with Dickey about a contract extension once the medical reports have been reviewed, though it’s doubtful he inks a new contract (Matthew Cerrone).

8:18 am: The Mets and Blue Jays have agreed to the players in the trade, although no specifics are available at this time (Heyman, CBS Sports).

8:03 am: The Blue Jays have been reviewing Dickey’s medical reports since at least yesterday (Martino, NYDN).

12:10 am: The basic deal is likely to be Gose and d’Arnaud or Arencibia for Dickey, with other players involved (Heyman, WFAN).

12:06 am: Gose is likely to be included in the deal (Rosenthal, Morosi, FoxSports).

December 14

11:30 pm: d’Arnaud is very much in play in a deal for Dickey, which could also include multiple pieces going both ways (Rosenthal, FoxSports).

10:47 pm: Mets and Jays are close to a deal, as was the case earlier, but still no agreement is in place (Morosi, FoxSports).

10:36 pm: Though sources wouldn’t rule out the Angels and O’s, the Blue Jays emerged as the front-runners today after a flurry of teams contacted the Mets about Dickey (Carig, Newsday).

10:14 pm: “To get d’Arnaud, I always heard it would take more than just Niese or Dickey, so there’s a chance more Mets could be involved in the deal” (Matthew Cerrone).

8:00 pm: The Mets may be getting d’Arnaud from the Blue Jays (Heyman, CBSSports).

8:00 pm: “Gut feeling is d’Arnaud is in deal,” according to person involved (Martino, Daily News).

8:00 pm: Jays had been insisting on Niese, not Dickey, in talks for d’Arnaud, so I’m fascinated by how this might be playing out (Matthew Cerrone).

6:54 pm: Orioles talked with Mets about Dickey, but saw no fit (Connoly, Baltimore Sun).

6:35 pm: The Mets do not expect a resolution to Dickey’s situation tonight (Carig, Newsday).

6:09 pm: Do not expect a resolution tonight, two people involved have said (DiComo, MLB.com).

5:35 pm: Mets must have a good offer from the Blue Jays, but it’s not done, since they’re still talking with at least the Angels and Orioles (Matthew Cerrone).

5:33 pm: Blue Jays and Mets have made progress, but have yet to reach an agreement (Morosi, FoxSports).

5:22 pm: High-level executive from a team that pursued Dickey believes he is being traded to Toronto (Morosi, FoxSports).

5:17 pm: Rangers GM Jon Daniels says if Dickey is being traded it is not to the Rangers (MLB Network Radio).

4:47 pm: The Rangers are not involved in trade talks for Dickey (T.R. Sullivan, MLB.com).

4:45 pm: Rangers are out, never offered both Mike Olt and pitching prospect Cody Buckel (Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports).

4:42 pm: Blue Jays entered the day believing that Dickey could be theirs in 24-48 hours (Davidoff, New York Post).

4:36 pm: Blue Jays are strong front runners (Andy Martino, Daily News).

4:32 pm: Angels still had interest this morning, but will first shop DH Kendry Morales in an effort to get a pitcher (Matthew Cerrone).

4:30 pm: Blue Jays prefer Jon Niese in a deal for C Travis d’Arnaud, but will move OF Anthony Gose and C J.P. Arencibia in a deal for Dickey, though Mets might need to give up a pitching prospect to get it done (Matthew Cerrone).

3:58 pm: Dickey will not do a contract extension with the Blue Jays (Sherman, New York Post).

3:55 pm: Mets have not talked about a contract with Dickey since Wednesday (Martino, Daily News).

3:49 pm: Orioles and Rangers don’t seem to be involved, Blue Jays are front runners (Heyman, CBS Sports).

3:38 pm: Dickey could be traded as early as today (Rubin, ESPN New York).

3:02 pm: Mets were engaged in intense trade talks for Dickey with Texas and Toronto yesterday, and Orioles have emerged with interest as well (Martino, Daily News).

2:40 pm: Jon Heyman of CBS Sports says the Angels and Blue Jays are two teams believed to have interest in acquiring Dickey.

10:38 am: The Mets are telling teams they have an acceptable trade offer for Dickey, but they are trying to get a better package (Rosenthal, FoxSports).

Who is C prospect Travis d’Arnaud?

Screen shot 2012-12-17 at 11.54.21 AM23-year-old C Travis d’Arnaud hit .333 with a .380 OBP, 16 HR and 52 RBI in 67 games for Triple-A Las Vegas last season.

D’Arnaud, which is pronounced ‘Dar-No,’ is Toronto’s top ranked prospect; he is considered the 11th best overall prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com and he was named the best defensive catcher in a 2011 poll of Double-A Eastern League managers.

“For me, he’s the best catching prospect in baseball,” a scouting coordinator of a team not involved in the trade told the New York Times. “He’s made lots of strides offensively. He’s one of those guys who a few years ago you would have said that he could be really good if he put it all together. Well, he’s put it all together and is really good. He’s the rare catcher who can hit in the middle of the lineup.”

Similarly, a talent evaluator who has watched D’Arnaud told Jim Duquette that D’Arnaud’s knee is not an issue.

“The kid has special makeup and a special bat,” the source said, adding that D’Arnaud is a future leader and future All Star.

To see video and a scouting report on d’Arnaud, who is now Sandy Alderson’s best hitting prospect, check out this from MLB.com.

Michael Baron, MetsBlog.com:

He was Toronto’s top prospect and is said to possess everything a team would want in a young catcher. He has the ability to grow and play the position at a high level, all while hitting for average and power. Catchers who project like that are hard to come by and incredibly difficult to develop, since any time a catcher can hit he is often moved from the position to preserve him for the long haul. For now, the Mets can hopefully turn a position where they had next to nothing into something substantial for the foreseeable future.

Brian Erni, MetsBlog.com:

If this happens, d’Arnaud is a huge get for the Mets. d’Arnaud boasts gap-to-gap power, which led to a .311/.371/.542 line with 21 homers, 78 RBI and 33 doubles in 114 games in the Eastern League with Double-A New Hampshire in 2011. After being bumped up to Triple A in 2012, d’Arnaud tore his PCL in June, which forced him to miss the rest of the season. Still, at just 23 years old, I think d’Arnaud has the ability to turn into a dynamic Major League power hitter, although he does have a few kinks in his game. He racked up 100 strikeouts in 466 plate appearances in 2011 and 59 in 303 plate appearances in 2012: numbers that he needs to cut down if he hopes not to be exploited by Major League pitching. Still, d’Arnaud is the real deal, and his acquisition would not only put him atop the Mets’ position player prospect class, but probably give him an inside track at winning the Major League catching job for 2013.

To follow D’Arnaud on Twitter, go here…

And there is also this, which you really should watch…

Who is C John Buck?

Screen shot 2012-12-17 at 12.15.02 PMC John Buck, 32, hit .192 with a .297 OBP, 12 home runs and 41 RBI in 398 plate appearances over 106 games with the Marlins in 2012.

He is entering the final year of a three-year, $18 million deal he signed with the Marlins in 2010. He will earn $6 million in 2013.

Buck has played nine big-league seasons, spending time with the Royals, Marlins and Blue Jays.

Michael Baron, MetsBlog.com:

Buck will clearly serve as a placeholder and veteran on  the big-league roster, as d’Arnaud will likely start to the season Triple-A, though he will not be there for long. Buck is very much like Kelly Shoppach. He doesn’t hit very much, although he has some pop. He isn’t known for his defense and has struggled to throw runners out in his career. But, if used in a limited role, he could be a good enough option as a backup and veteran to help guide D’Arnaud.