The 4 best early Christmas free agent signing gifts the Mets have ever delivered

2) R.A. Dickey

Easily the greatest pickup out of nowhere made in Mets history, it was on December 21, 2009 when R.A. Dickey joined the ball club. Who was this journeyman in his mid-30s? Probably someone who’d see some time in the bullpen. After all, Dickey made only 1 start and another 34 relief appearances the year prior with the Minnesota Twins.

This wasn’t the case. Dickey successfully won his way into the Mets rotation in 2010 with an 11-9 record and 2.84 ERA. He was reliable again the following season, going 8-13 with a 3.28 ERA.

It was in 2012 when Dickey made his mark on Mets history. The ultimate underdog went 20-6 with a 2.73 ERA while leading the league with 5 complete games, 3 shutouts, 233.2 innings, and 230 strikeouts. Oh and he won a little trophy called the Cy Young.

As far as Christmas presents go, Dickey would have been the one you never realized you wanted in the first place. Still beloved more than a decade after he won a Cy Young and was promptly traded the following offseason, he remains one of the more fascinating players and people to play in the big leagues in recent memory.