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Wheeler and Harvey Considered “Untouchable”; Dickey Named Cy Young Finalist
The GM Meetings began yesterday in California, and will run through tomorrow. While Sandy Alderson is not looking to sign any free agents, these meetings are widely seen as a time when opposing GMs chat with one another about their off-season plans and what they want to accomplish, while the Mets will start to see how the trade market will take shape moving towards the winter meetings, which take place in the beginning of December. Mike Puma of the New York Post was told by a club source that young pitchers Zack Wheeler and Matt Harvey are “untouchable” in trade discussions, while everyone else is available, including David Wright and R.A. Dickey.
Well, this makes a lot of sense. And no, I’m not being sarcastic. We’ve been hearing how Wheeler and Harvey are going to be cornerstones of the rotation and Mets organization for years to come. I don’t think anyone was anticipating either of these two to be included in trade talks this winter, but it’s nice to hear they won’t be going anywhere. Once he was called up in July, Harvey put together an impressive 10-start stretch before being shut down for the season. The 23-year-old righty went 3-5 with a 2.73 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 70 K’s in 59.1 innings pitched. As for Wheeler, he spent time with both Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Buffalo in 2012, going a combined 12-8 with a 3.26 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 148 K’s in 149 innings pitched.
August 29, 2012; Philadelphia, PA USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Matt Harvey (33) pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The Mets defeated the Phillies, 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE
If you’re miffed about Alderson listening to others make pitches (no pun intended) about Wright and Dickey, don’t be. It only makes sense for Sandy to see what both of these players would be worth to opposing GMs on the open market, in case he isn’t able to sign either one to an extension. Everyone knows they’re still trying to get deals done, so no trades would be imminent; it’s just nice for the front office to know what they could get in return this winter after they both enjoyed solid seasons.
Shortly after becoming a free agent, reports already have Mike Nickeas re-signing with the team. Ken Davidoff of the Post broke the news, which would be a minor league deal for the right-handed hitting catcher, including an invite to MLB Spring Training. That time on the open market was quick for Nickeas. However, someone who will not be re-signing with the Mets after becoming a free agent is Jason Bay, who reached a mutual agreement with the Mets to terminate his contract a year early, and getting the $21 million he’s still owed anyway, although a portion of it will be deferred. So, what does this mean for the Mets heading into 2013? Check out Danny Abriano’s thoughts here.
In what was not shocking news, the Baseball Writers Association of America announced yesterday that R.A. Dickey is one of the three finalists for the NL Cy Young Award. The other two finalists include last year’s winner, Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers, and Gio Gonzalez of the Nationals. Numbers are pointing towards the knuckler being the favorite, as he led the National League in strikeouts (230), innings pitched (233.2), complete games (5), shutouts (3), and quality starts (27). To add to those sparkling stats, he also came in second in ERA (2.73) and wins (20)… all while throwing the most unpredictable pitching in the history of the game. If this man doesn’t win the award on November 14th, then I’ll be convinced the voting is fixed.
In regards to the knuckler’s contract negotiations, Marc Craig of Newsday tweeted that Dickey has indicated their talks have progressed, while he feels the organization is headed in the right direction. Despite this positive news, Adam Rubin also tweeted that the sides are not close to coming to an agreement, and the same goes for Wright. I feel that with Bay being released, we will start to see some more movement in these talks, as this was no doubt part of Alderson’s pitch for the future of the organization. Now that both players are seeing steps toward the overall goal, we can only hope talks will get more serious and closer to an agreement.