The Mets have finally come to a decision on RA Dickey – and that decision was to trade him to the Blue Jays. I’m very sad to see the knuckleballer go. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him pitch and one of my highlights of the 2012 season was attending his 20th win.

His comeback story and the way he reinvented himself as a pitcher is amazing. Mets fans really got behind him during his spectacular year and I know Dickey appreciated that. At the end of the day though, baseball is a business. When a player produces, you have to pay them (as the Mets also found out with David Wright) and the Mets couldn’t come to an agreement on an extension with Dickey.

The trade was the next best option and although I’m upset Dickey won’t be a part of the team going forward, I think we got a lot in return for our ace. Loading up on prospects is the right thing to do right now. Although it’s frustrating to a Mets fan right now and it has been frustrating for the past 5 years, there is a lot to be excited about. There are a lot of good young players that will hopefully make the Mets a serious playoff contender in the near future.

In this trade the Mets got the 11th best prospect in the game (according to MLB.com) in catcher Travis d’Arnaud, a 20-year old right-handed pitcher in Noah Syndergaard, a veteran catcher in John Buck and outfielder Wuilmer Becerra. d’Arnaud and Snydergaard have tremendous potential. Add to that the core of young arms the Mets have been grooming over the past two seasons (Harvey, Wheeler, Familia) and David Wright and you can see the formation of what looks like a contender.

Although this a good trade for the Mets, it must be noted that they are letting a Cy Young Award winner, who was willing to stay in New York for less than market value, get away. Dickey is old but since his reinvention as a knuckleballer, it is tough to determine how long he can be effective. He certainly has more value than any other 38-year old pitcher. This trade will likely be the defining moment for the Sandy Alderson regime and like any trade, it can go either way. Time will tell who got the better deal.

I’m going to miss watching Dickey pitch but I can’t complain right now. What the front office did is exactly what they should have done with Reyes. As soon as it was becoming clear that the team would not be able to re-sign Reyes, they should have traded him and gotten something in return. Instead they led the fans on even though they couldn’t even afford to make Reyes an offer. He walked and the Mets got nothing in return so at least they learned from those mistakes with Dickey.

No matter what Alderson decided was best for the team, he needed to act this season. If Dickey pitched out the final year of his contract without an extension, he would definitely enter free agency and the leave New York. When they decided an extension wasn’t in the team’s best interest (either due to $$ or risk of repeat performance), they made the right move and cashed in on his value.

Next season may not be the return to the postseason for the Mets. But given the amount of young talent we have, I feel like we’re not that far from being a relevant team again.