Mets 3B: Reyes' Final Act At Citi Wasn't Wright; Dickey A 'Win-Win'
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- With a new eight-year, $138 million deal, David Wright may very well end his career in Queens.
And you can be sure his final act at Citi Field won't cause an eruption of boos, a la Jose Reyes, who left fans stunned after what was to be his final at-bat in a Mets jersey.
Reyes legged out a bunt single to lead off against the Reds on Sept. 28, 2011, all but locking up his NL batting title. He then trotted toward the dugout, angering fans who bought tickets or tuned in just to see New York's All-Star shortstop.
"I wish I would have had an opportunity to know what he was thinking," Wright told WFAN's Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton on Tuesday. "I wish I would have gotten a chance to talk to him before. ... I think I would have tried to talk him out of it.
"I think I would have tried to let him know that, you know -- I think he knows how much he meant to the fans. The fans obviously loved Jose. And I think I would have tried to talk him out of it."
LISTEN: David Wright with Boomer & Carton
(You can download the entire interview HERE.)
Reyes was traded to Toronto last month after signing with Miami prior to the 2012 season. Wright said he wished Mets fans would remember Reyes "in kind of a different way."
"It is a little unfair I think to judge his Mets career or what he's done on the field with that last at-bat," Wright said. "I think it leaves a sour taste in peoples' mouths. This guy was -- and still is -- one of the most dynamic, electric players in the game. And he is an awesome, awesome teammate."
Wright also touched on the future of R.A. Dickey, the blueprint of general manager Sandy Alderson and more in Tuesday's wide-ranging interview.
On his extension:
"It's just kind of a weird thing that you just can't ever imagine. It's unrealistic. It's a dream come true. And you're talking about as a kid, going out there and playing a game, you never would ever think you would make it to the big leagues, much less sign a contract like this."
On if he thought he'd be traded:
"I think I feared that. You know, you want to be wanted. So if the Mets wanted me and they gave me the kind of game plan and that blueprint moving forward, then I wanted to be here. ... Of course in the back of your mind, you're hoping that they want you here as badly as you want to be here."
On his plans had Mets' blueprint not been up to snuff:
"(Leaving) definitely would have been something that I thought long and hard about. ... I didn't sign back here to finish in fourth-place again. That's not fun. It's not fun to play out the season in September. It's actually -- it's horrendous. ... I wanted to make sure, if I'm gonna go all-in, I want the organization to go all-in as well."
On the future of R.A. Dickey:
"Obviously, you know, we want him back. He's a Cy Young-award winner. But at the same time, I think he understands also, from an organization standpoint it's a win-win. You either bring back a Cy Young Award-winner on a relatively team-friendly contract or -- if you do decide to trade him -- you saw what (James) Shields and these guys brought back from Kansas City."
On Dickey the brainiac:
"The books -- it's like a library. He has kind of a corner locker, and the books, I mean like the sort of stuff that you stuff you have to do book reports on that you don't want to read."
On what went wrong in 2012:
"In a perfect world, a lot of these younger players get their grooming and kind of take their lumps in the minor leagues. Unfortunately, the last couple years, we haven't had that luxury. So you have young players that probably are not 100 percent ready to be there that are actually trying to learn on the job. ... You go out there, you have a good first half and then all the sudden you start running out of steam a little bit. Other teams start finding holes in certain players."
On Jason Bay:
"Going through a slump is difficult. Going through a slump in New York is very difficult, especially when the team's not playing well. ... He never got to the point I think where he got the at-bats, he got the confidence level back to where it was in Boston or Pittsburgh. ... I think that anybody will say that has played with Jason, that they are rooting for him in Seattle. He's a good guy."
On his approach at the plate:
"I need to do a better job of, if they are going to pitch around and they are going to throw me a lot of crap, I've gotta be able to take it."
On prospect Zack Wheeler:
"He's supposed to be the real deal. I haven't seen him. But I think he's going to be invited to spring training. I think."
On the Jets' QB situation:
"(Stick with) Sanchez. I think you have to. He's your guy, and I think you win or lose with him."
Should the captain's 'C' be next for Wright? Make your case in the comments!
