Chase Headley Wins NL Gold Glove at 3B; Options Exercised for Wright, Dickey

So, to follow up on what we were talking about yesterday afternoon, the Rawlings Gold Glove Awards were announced last night for both the American League and National League. For Mets fans, the one hope we had for this award was David Wright, who enjoyed his best defensive season ever; he committed a career-low 10 errors, yielding a career-high .974 fielding percentage, with a UZR (ultimate zone rating) of 15.4. However, the two-time Gold Glove winner was beat out by eventual first time winner, Chase Headley of the San Diego Padres.

Like I said yesterday, I hadn’t watched Headley or the other finalist, Aramis Ramirez, play the field very much this season, but Wright looked to be the favorite if you looked at overall statistics. He led the league with 16 runs saved, and despite him and Headley committing the same amount of errors, the Padres’ third baseman cost his team 3 runs. Just watching Wright this season, we could see the extreme improvement with his glove; it was not the amount of amazing plays that caught my eye, but how consistent he was on routine plays, which were usually what he’s booted in the past. However, with players and coaches being the ones to vote for Gold Glove winners, it’s more of a vote by perception instead of a vote by statistics. Although I feel Wright should have won, especially since his stats say he should have, I’m not surprised he didn’t. There are times when Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers are awarded to players who weren’t the best statistically at their position, which some could argue for Wright’s two awards in ’07 and ’08.

September 22, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley (7) throws the ball to first base during the fifth inning against the San Francisco Giants at AT

What we knew would be the inevitable, the Mets have officially picked up the 2013 options for both Wright and R.A. Dickey, ensuring they are under team control for the upcoming season. New York had a deadline of today to pick up David’s and until Friday to exercise R.A.’s, but if they were going to move on one, it didn’t make sense to leave the other one hanging, especially when we all knew it was going to happen. The next step will be to have either one or both of them sign extensions to keep them with the organization past 2013, which will be the tricky part for Sandy Alderson to navigate through.

According to a report yesterday from Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, talks about a multi-year extension for their franchise third baseman are moving along, but not nearly fast enough to agree upon before picking up his option. Heyman says ownership wants to keep negotiations under wraps, and they’re doing a good job since there aren’t many details available, but rumors have it negotiations have started around the $100 million mark. Earlier in October, we heard a report from MLB Trade Rumors that Alderson was expecting to have extensions for both Wright and Dickey signed by the start of the World Series.

Although that would have been awesome, I’m also not surprised it’s taking a little longer; agreeing to the type of deal the Mets are trying to put together for Wright is not a quick and easy process. When you’re talking about a six- or seven-year extension worth in excess of $100 million to keep your franchise player with the organization for the entirety of his career, there are plenty of details that need to be hashed out. Alderson and the rest of the organization have been very forward about their desire to keep Wright in the Orange and Blue for the remainder of his career, so I have no reason to believe he won’t be. However, I won’t put any other thoughts to rest until I see it come to pass.

However, it continues to look unlikely the Mets will be able to agree with anything for knuckler and potential NL Cy Young winner, R.A. Dickey. The organization’s focus should be on Wright first; if he’s not retained, there would certainly be an uprising amongst a hefty amount of fans. Although we’ve heard the front office is wary of the effects of Dickey’s 80 mph knuckler and wear and tear on his body, I think it’s the reported contract demands that are scaring them away the most. R.A. wants to get rewarded for his stellar season, which is understandable, but at 38-years-old, he shouldn’t be expecting a contract in excess of $40 million, which has been going through the rumor mill. So, since his value is as high as it will ever be, I wouldn’t be a shock if Alderson goes into the Winter Meetings this off-season with Dickey on the table, unless negotiations take a turn for the better.