Rain washes out reunion of Amazin’ deal
The rain spoiled more than a baseball game.
The canceling of the series opener against the Braves on Tuesday night means R.A. Dickey will still make his return to the Citi Field mound, it just won’t be against Noah Syndergaard, one of the players the Mets traded Dickey for in 2012.
The two were scheduled to start Wednesday and serve as a reminder of the deal with the Blue Jays — from which catcher Travis d’Arnaud was the main acquisition at the time. The Mets have been lauded for getting the best of Toronto in that swap.
Instead, Syndergaard will face Braves ace Julio Teheran on Wednesday, with the Mets looking to break out of a funk that has them 2-8 in their past 10 games. Syndergaard should be bolstered by the return of left fielder Yoenis Cespedes (hamstring), who was in the Mets’ original lineup Tuesday. Matt Harvey will square off against Dickey in Thursday’s series finale.
Dickey never regained his Cy Young form of 2012 following the trade. Syndergaard, on the other hand, developed into one of the best pitchers in baseball and a folk hero in Queens with his Thor nickname and 100-mph heater.
D’Arnaud’s time with the Mets has been plagued by injuries, but he was integral to the team’s National League pennant in 2015.
“It’s cool that a couple of years after the trade that we made it to the World Series,” said d’Arnaud, who was set to catch Tuesday for the first time since suffering a wrist injury on April 19.
In 2012, d’Arnaud was informed of the trade in the morning as he prepared to host an ugly-sweater Christmas party at his home in Long Beach, Calif. Even he didn’t know the level of the player who was coming along with him.
“[Syndergaard] was always a level below me [in the minors], but I always heard great things about him,” d’Arnaud said. “It was definitely a good deal.” Dickey doesn’t disagree. In his mind, he said, the trade made sense. The Blue Jays got what they needed at the time, a veteran pitcher who eats innings for a club looking to become a winner. Dickey logged more than 200 innings and made more than 30 starts in three of his four years with the Blue Jays. Toronto won an AL East title and made two ALCS appearances during his tenure.
“I don’t think of [the deal] in term of wins and losses,” Dickey said. “I think of it in terms of timing, what was the need at the time. Everybody knew Noah was going to be pretty good. It was just a matter of time.”
Dickey said he is excited to be back at Citi Field, where the knuckleballer resurrected his career. The 42-year-old, who signed as a free agent with the Braves, said he loved pitching there and was sad to leave. He expects a friendly reaction from Mets fans — as good as can be expected for an opposing player — when he takes the mound.
“I don’t have an expectation, but my hope is that it brings back good memories,” Dickey said. “That’s all.”
Dickey has made just one other start against the Mets. He allowed one run on three hits and struck out seven in a 7-1 Blue Jays win in Toronto on June 18, 2015. Collins, who managed Dickey, knows how tough he can be at Citi Field.
“It’s always fun to see your former player and beat them,” said Collins, who agreed the deal was a franchise-changing moment. “It’s hard because R.A. has pitched very, very well in this park.”
Even so, Collins isn’t complaining about handing Syndergaard the ball.
“You create opportunities and players make of these opportunities whatever they want,” Collins said. “Noah has taken this opportunity and certainly put himself as one of the best pitchers in the game.”