Hey we need some players for the holiday party.
Well, Ike said he’d do it.
What about Wright? We just paid him a zillion dollars.
He can’t make it. How about we call Franco?
Yeah I guess, but we need someone else from the current team.
Dickey is in town that day at the M&Ms store. Want me to ask him?
Sure. Invite the beat reporters too. It’s time we get some good vibes going. They’ll see Ike and Franco and Dickey and everyone will be in a festive mood. What could go wrong?
But wait…then there’s the other side of the coin. Mr. Dickey.
“If that’s the decision they feel like is best for the club, and that’s the decision that they make, I feel like it would be unfortunate, because it probably is going to mean I’m not going to be back (in 2014),” Dickey said. (via ESPN NY)
R.A. isn’t me. He doesn’t fly off the handle in rage. He speaks softly in very pensive measured tones. This was not an accidental thing to say. And he chose the holiday party to say it.
He could have said something like, “Hey guys, I’m here to celebrate the holiday party with the kids. When something develops you guys will be the first to know.”
But nope, he apparently got into it with the beat reporters.
The Mets should have seen this coming. On twitter yesterday I mentioned that I thought they’d have an announcement before the party about an RA deal. As Matt Cerrone said so well on MetsBlog…
Ummm, did Dickey just walk in off the streets? Or, did the Mets invite him? I’m thinking the Mets invited him, right? Also, did Dickey just grab the mic and start spouting off about his contract, totally unprovoked? Or, was he asked questions by reporters, who usually cover these events in exchange for being allowed to ask baseball questions? I’m guessing the Mets invited them too.
So, what exactly did the Mets think was going to happen? Did they honestly think the topic of Dickey’s contract wouldn’t come up? Or, did they expect him to say, ‘Hey, guys, everything’s great,’ despite countless reports to the contrary over the last few weeks? (via MetsBlog)
Oh Mets…
…
And Mr. Dickey, here’s your own words from January 2011. The bold is mine.
“My goal at this point is to be the best bargain in baseball for the next three years,” Dickey said on a conference call Monday afternoon. “To win championships, you really have to have an altruistic approach in that I wasn’t out to break the bank from the get-go. If I want to be part of the solution here — and I do — giving some things up might help the collective good. I was willing to do that for this organization, and still am.”
Dickey’s deal buys out his first year of free agency and gives the Mets an option to retain him for $5 million in 2013. From the team’s standpoint, the deal represents a risk — signing a 36-year-old pitcher with only one successful season usually is. But if Dickey comes even close to duplicating his successes of last year, he will be a bargain.
I included the second paragraph to remind everyone of the narrative. The Mets took a risk. R.A. had a career year. Maybe he has another, maybe not. The first year of their faith got them 8 wins. (Take the advanced stats argument over to Amazin’ Avenue, we’re old souls here.)
His goal was to be a bargain for three years. This is year three.
He can sign with the Mets or not after 2013. In the meantime it’s your walk year. Go be Cy Young not the 51-60 pitcher that seemed happy in January 2011. If he does that, the money will be there. Don’t be a downer at the party.
