Stuck Between a Dickey and a Hard Place

I'm torn.  I've been a Mets fan since Joe Torre was the team's manager and in three-plus decades, I can't remember having a quandary such as this one.  My dilemma involves R.A. Dickey.  Do I want him to be a Met in 2013 or do I want him to be traded for a major league-ready prospect or two?  It's not a decision I would want to make.

Like he has with mostly every other Mets fan, R.A. Dickey has grown on me.  He went from a pitcher whose name was made fun of in every other tweet or blog post (I guess some habits are hard to break) to the best pitcher in the National League in just three seasons.  Needless to say, I look forward to every R.A. Dickey start.

That being said, Dickey's value is higher than anyone ever thought it would be.  One recent trade situation had the Red Sox sending their top two prospects, Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley, to the Mets for the 38-year-old knuckleballer.  Dickey's name has also been connected to the Dodgers and Royals.

Just like the Mets were able to pry top pitching prospect Zack Wheeler away from the Giants in the Carlos Beltran trade, they have to get top value for Dickey in any trade.  And since we're talking about the current National League Cy Young Award winner, they should have no problem getting a top talent or two.

But who would replace Dickey in the rotation?  Johan Santana is still a question mark.  Zack Wheeler is still months away from being major league ready.  Matt Harvey has ten games of big league experience.  Dillon Gee is coming off a season-ending injury.  Mike Pelfrey was shown the front door.  And therein lies the dilemma.

If R.A. Dickey is traded, the Mets have no one to step into his spot in the rotation come April 1.  The fans would also never get to hear Howie Rose utter these words on Opening Day:

"Ladies and gentlemen, your 2012 National League Cy Young Award winner, R.A. Dickey!"

Alas, trading Dickey would allow the Mets to get younger and continue to build a team around David Wright, even if this Mets blogger would love to see Dickey play out the remaining years of his major league career in Flushing.

The Mets would have an above-average pitching staff if they decided to keep Dickey.  But they would have to find another way to acquire top young talent.  Similarly, their rotation would have a gaping hole if they decided to trade Dickey, but the team would be bolstered by the influx of major league-ready prospects.

So which one do I want?  Do I want Dickey all for my own?  Or do I want Sandy Alderson to deal our ace for a potential royal flush of young talent?  I have no idea what's in the cards for R.A. Dickey.  All I know is that as a fan, I'm stuck between a Dickey and a hard place.  And I'm not sure I'm going to be satisfied with whatever ends up happening.

Omar Lives By The Rules of The Old Perfesser

First it was Chris Coste. Then it was Henry Blanco. Earlier today, Joe D at Mets Merized Online posted that the Mets might go after Rod Barajas if they can’t get Bengie Molina. SI.com’s Jon Heyman is now saying that the Mets are considering offering Molina a one-year deal worth $6 million, plus an option for a second year. Heyman states that teams in the larger markets aren’t in need of frontline catchers. Therefore, the Mets feel they can sign Molina since the smaller-market teams are probably not willing to spend as much for catchers when there are less expensive catching options available.

What I’d like to know is this. The Mets have been saying that their top priority at the Winter Meetings is to acquire pitching. If this is indeed the case, then why does it appear that they’re signing or attempting to sign every catcher this side of Hobie Landrith? Is Omar Minaya thinking of Casey Stengel’s famous words when they drafted the aforementioned Landrith with their first pick in the 1961 expansion draft?

When asked about the signing of Landrith when there were other players the Mets could have drafted to become the cornerstone of their fledgling franchise, Stengel said the following:

"You gotta have a catcher or you're gonna have a lot of passed balls."

I get that the Mets need a catcher for 2010. Brian Schneider has signed with the Phillies and Omir Santos is not a #1 catcher. But regardless of who the Mets sign to be their top catcher next season, he is not going to be the long-term solution there. It appears as if Josh Thole will be the full-time catcher for the Mets by 2011. The Mets should just settle on one catcher instead of spending all of their Monopoly money on houses for Mediterranean Avenue and Baltic Avenue. If they continue to sign every catcher available, they’re not going to have the resources to put hotels on Park Place and Boardwalk.

Make up your mind, Omar. Do you want to have the fewest passed balls in baseball or do you want to put together the best team so that the fans won’t continue to dress as green seats for games in September? While you were attempting to sign every backstop available, other teams are already signing potential players that would help them, even at catcher. (The Nationals signed Ivan Rodriguez to a two-year deal worth $6 million, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown on his Twitter page.)

I’m usually a patient person, but come on. I’m tired of other teams getting effective players the Mets could have had, while we get scrubs and past-their-prime players. If the Mets come back from the Winter Meetings with their fifth and sixth-string catchers and don’t come back with a top-notch pitcher or their starting leftfielder for 2010, this team might continue to resemble the teams Casey Stengel used to manage. The fans might have bought into it then, but they surely won’t buy into it now.

Mets Must Sign The #2 Pitcher They Sorely Lack(ey)

If it's Saturday, it must be time for the weekly John Lackey blog on Studious Metsimus. In today's installment, we bring you hope that our favorite free agent pitcher might be pursued heavily by Omar Minaya. At least that's what David Lennon's article in today's Newsday seems to say when he reported that the Mets will be seriously bidding for Lackey's services when the righty hits the free agent market next Friday.

Omar met with Lackey's agent, Steve Hilliard, earlier this week and left the conversation with a favorable first impression. Although Lackey might command a contract worth up to $100 million, especially because he is one of the top free agent pitchers available, he might be had for less than that figure.

If you recall, last year Omar Minaya went into the offseason with the bullpen on his mind. Billy Wagner was not going to be available to the Mets and a replacement was the top priority for the team. He targeted free agent closer Francisco Rodriguez and went after him hard.

The original reports had Rodriguez looking for a five-year, $75 million contract. The Mets were able to sign him for only three years and $37 million. Therefore, they should not be scared off by the initial $100 million amount being tossed around for acquiring Lackey.

If Omar can go into the Winter Meetings with the same determination he did last year to get what he wanted, he might be able to sign Lackey for much less than $100 million. The offer might start at four years, but if a fifth year is needed to get Lackey to sign on the dotted line, perhaps K-Rod's desires of a five-year, $75 million contact might become the magic number for signing Lackey.

What will it take to get John Lackey to smile for the New York Mets in 2010? Whatever the dollar amount is and however many years it takes, Omar must make sure his top priority at the Winter Meetings is signing John Lackey. Once he gets his man, then he can focus on the offensive side of the picture.

Johan Santana and John Lackey would provide the best 1-2 punch in the division. On days the offense hits the snooze button, having one of those two pitchers on the mound would make it easier for the Mets to have a chance to win. After all, can you really depend on Oliver Perez to win a 1-0 game?

If the Mets sign John Lackey, then pitchers such as Mike Pelfrey and John Maine can become the #3 and #4 pitchers they were always meant to be. There was no way the Mets were going to compete with either of these guys being their #2 starter. #2 guys are so high up on the pitching chain that they can't afford to be anything but consistent, a quality that Pelfrey and Maine did not possess in 2009.

The Winter Meetings begin in less than a month. It's time to put an extra log in the fire and hope it heats up discussions between Omar Minaya and Steve Hilliard. Getting that #2 starter will go a long way towards making the Mets a #1 team.

Song Parody: Omar the Red-Faced GM

The baseball season is over and GMs everywhere are preparing for next month's Winter Meetings. They will be shopping for free agents to present as stocking stuffers to their fanbase. That reminds me of the upcoming holiday season. It also reminds me that Studious Metsimus hasn't "composed" a song parody in a while.

Paying homage to the classic Christmas song composed by Johnny Marks and sung by Gene Autry in 1949 (back in the year when Yankee fans were doing midnight shopping for T-shirts commemorating their 12th championship), here is my alternate take on "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer", focusing on our beloved general manager. After all, now that players have begun filing for free agency, Omar has to make sure he makes this team competitive and not load it up with guys from the Land of Misfit Players. Let's hope this song helps.

Omar The Red-Faced GM
Going into buying mode
Looking for a first baseman
Hope his name is not Ross Gload

All of the angry Mets fans
Pleading that he signs big names
They'll never forgive Omar
He's the one who gets the blame.

Then on Winter Meetings Eve
Wilpon came to say
"Omar, perhaps if you might,
Don't use up my funds tonight."

That's why no Mets fan loves him
As they live in misery
Omar the Red-Faced GM
Soon you will be history!

There you have it. Now doesn't that get you into the Christmas spirit? It's going to be an interesting three and a half months until pitchers and catchers report. As the days get closer, there might be more song parodies. Omar might inadvertently write some of the lyrics if he doesn't put together the right team to compete in 2010.

Omar's legacy will be decided during this offseason and the upcoming 2010 baseball season. Will he be the man who brought the Mets back into World Series contention or will he be the man who caused Studious Metsimus to win a Grammy Award for best song parody?

For Omar's sake, it better be the former instead of the latter. Those Grammy Awards can hurt once they're shoved far up a person's @$$!