why trading Dickey was the right move for the Mets

Trading your ace right after he won 20 games and the Cy Young award is never a popular move. But for the Mets, this was a great trade. Below are 5 reasons why, as well as why this was good for the Jays and Dickey himself.

1. First off, the Mets are rebuilding. They are not contending in 2013, with Dickey or without him. With him, best case scenario they win 83 games. They are in rebuild mode. Do you rebuild with a 38-year old knuckleballer? The Mets are preparing for 2014 (more accurately 2015) and beyond, and Dickey doesn't fit in that plan.

2. The said 38-year old knuckleballer wants and deserves a new contract extension with a big raise. The Mets have been trying to shed payroll for a couple years now. Should a rebuilding team trying to shed payroll extend and raise a 38-year old pitcher?

3. If the Mets didn’t do anything with Dickey now then he would be gone after 2013 anyway with nothing in return. Right now his trade value is the highest it will ever be.

4. The Mets hate Josh Thole but don’t have any other catcher to use. Now they have a solid starting catcher AND the best catching prospect in the league. They also landed a 20-year old pitching prospect with (according to ESPN’s Buster Olney) potential to be a future front-line starter. For a team like the Mets, you couldn’t have asked for more.

5. This trade is a way for the Mets to reward R.A. Dickey for an incredible season (really, three outstanding seasons) and do so in a way that doesn’t cripple the team or skew its direction. (Joe Mauer and the Twins, anyone?)

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays gave up an extra catcher to get another front of the rotation starter. They already have J.P. Arencibia, a young catcher with great power. Might as well get an actual backup (Thole) and uprade pitching. Besides, John Buck played a total of 0 games for Toronto.

The Jays are looking to win now. In a season where the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays will likely be vulnerable, Toronto sees the one great chance to compete they haven’t had in two decades. They have five excellent starting pitchers (Dickey, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Brandon Morrow and Ricky Romero) with an excellent hitting team to support them. They gave up a lot, but they are a better team than they were a week ago. There should be no doubt that the Jays have the best team in the division.

And obviously, the trade is great for R.A. Dickey. The 38-year old is obviously just a few years away from the end of his career. And now a season after he picked up the hardware, he gets paid ($30 million the next three seasons) and he is on a team that has a legitimate shot at a championship.

This won’t be a popular move for the local New York fans and attendance at Citi Field will likely slump again. But it is a great trade for all parties involved: the Mets get a starting catcher, great hitting catcher prospect, pitching prospect, and financial flexibility. The Jays get a great veteran pitcher who can help them win now. And R.A. Dickey gets money and a chance to win. The only group that should be disappointed is the Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles and Rays, as already-stiff competition just got a little tougher.