Loyal Dickey Wants To Stay With Mets, Says He Believes In Future Of Franchise
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Mets right-hander R.A. Dickey made history on Wednesday evening when he became the first knuckleballer in major league history to win the Cy Young Award.
Upon hearing that he accomplished the feat and added to his magical 2012 season, the 38-year-old didn't know what to do with himself.
"Believe it or not I was completely speechless," Dickey told WFAN's Mike Francesa on Thursday afternoon. "When I heard the head of the Baseball Writers' Association (of America) say that the baseball writers have made history tonight, I knew that I had won, because I knew that there had never been a Cy Young Award winner who had been a full-time knuckleballer ... It was just euphoric for a moment ... It's such a prestigious award, and it really meant a lot."
LISTEN: Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey chats with Mike Francesa
The veteran right-hander was well-deserving of the honor, going 20-6 with a 2.73 ERA for the fourth-place Mets. He struck out 230 and walked just 54, while posting a 1.05 WHIP, in a career-high 233 2/3 innings.
And now that his 2012 is officially over -- and his stock has never been higher -- will the fan favorite sign an extension and stay with the Mets for the long haul?
He said he certainly wants to.
"The talks are ongoing, and I'm really hopeful that we're going to reach a compromise to stay a New York Met," the former first-round pick said. "That's my heart. I've expressed that repeatedly to Sandy and to the powers that be. There's a sense of loyalty I have to an organization that gave me a very unique opportunity ... When they gave me the ball in May of 2010 for the first time, they gave me an opportunity that 29 other clubs weren't willing to give me."
Though Dickey has a strong desire to stay in Queens, he understandably wants to be rewarded for his tremendous effort during the 2012 season, and it remains to be seen whether the Mets -- with their financial struggles -- will be able to appropriately compensate their ace.
Dickey, an All-Star this past season, has also stated that he wants to pitch for a contender, and the Mets can't be considered in that category at the moment. However, Dickey said he's discussed the future with general manager Sandy Alderson, and he believes in where this organization is headed.
"(Alderson) has convinced me that the Mets are going to do something going forward," Dickey said. "And when I say 'something,' I mean we are going to improve. How that manifests? Only time will tell, but he has convinced me, and I think he's done a pretty good job of convincing (third baseman) David (Wright) that he has a plan for us to be a very competitive club going forward."
If he can be signed at a reasonable price, should the Mets extend R.A. Dickey, or should they trade him while his stock is sky-high? Sound off with your thoughts and comments below...
