I’m deliberately piling on the morning after a loss with the hope that with the loss comes some sobriety that doesn’t follow wins.
R.A. Dickey is the man. Cool guy. Great story. Having an awesome year.
He is also signed for 2013.
Since the Mets are involved let’s assume the worst will happen. Whatever the most embarrassing situation for the Mets can possibly be, that’s what will happen.
Worst ever scenario #1
Dickey wins the 2012 and 2013 Cy Young. The Mets try to sign him but he decides to sign with the Yankees at age 39. He then wins the 2014 Cy Young for the World Champion Yankees while the Mets go 52-110. People announce on twitter they are boycotting Mets games until the Wilpons sell (or approve their press pass.)
We’ve lived through variants of that. What are you going to say, stupid Wilpons? You already say that.
Worst ever scenario #2
The Mets, tired of being called stupid and cheap extend Dickey beyond his 39th birthday. It turns out that Cinderella isn’t real. They are tied up for years with a.500 pitcher in his 40’s with an ERA in the 4’s.
Does that make sense?
Likely scenario
Dickey isn’t really a perennial Cy Young candidate. He has figured out how to use his stuff at a late age, so he’s better than he was in Texas It’s a knuckleball so some nights it works, and some nights it doesn’t. You can count on him to eat innings and go 11-9. That’s actually a great thing to have on a staff.
He will still be 39 when the season ends next year.
Perhaps he decides to stay with the Mets. At worst, he leaves (at age 39) and pitches somewhere else.
It doesn’t mean I don’t like him, it doesn’t mean he’s not cool, it doesn’t mean that I don’t. Hope he pitches great into his 40’s. The rush to re-sign him now? I don’t get it. I don’t know why anyone is even talking about it.
If he wins the Cy and Sandy has him at $5 million in 2013 than hooray for Sandy.
Now the guy at third base….that’s a whole other story that is not just about the baseball part. Factor in the marketing, the brand, the face of the franchise, the guy shaking hands with clients at 4pm before day games….that deal should get done today. But we will have plenty of time to talk about that this off-season.
