With Toby and Patrick:

[sny-libsyn url=”http://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/2121760/height/360/width/640/direction/no/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/”%5D

On iTunes here.

A note: I mentioned late in the podcast the story that George W. Bush accidentally voted for Barack Obama. That was, it turns out, not even a hoax but a satirical article mistaken for truth by a variety of blogs and at least one Mets blogger who probably shouldn’t be clicking and reporting on links while podcasting.

Jason Bay and the New York Mets today announced a negotiated early expiration of his contract.  The agreement provides Bay his unconditional free agency while the Mets gain roster flexibility.  Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“Jason is a great teammate, hard worker, stand-up guy, and true gentleman,” said Mets Chief Operating Officer Jeff Wilpon.  “Like Jason, we had planned for the kind of production here that he enjoyed in Boston and Pittsburgh, where he established himself as one of the game’s top players.  We wish Jason and his family success and happiness in the future.”

“Jason has a tremendous work ethic. There was never any question about it,” said Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson.  “Unfortunately, the results weren’t there and we are in a results-oriented business.  We thank Jason for his efforts and wish him well.”

“I still feel I have plenty to give to this game and that I can play baseball at a high level. But after serious consideration, both sides agree that we would benefit from a fresh start,” said Bay.  “I’m grateful we were able to reach an agreement to allow that to happen.  I’m excited to keep playing and have no intention of just walking away.  I enjoyed my time in New York.  I have no regrets in signing with the Mets, other than that I wasn’t able to play to the level that the team, the fans and I all expected and that we weren’t able to win more games. I move on with nothing but an appreciation for the organization and its fans and best wishes to all my teammates there.”

– Mets press release.

Whoa. So that happened sooner than expected. I was in the midst of writing something pretty long when this news broke and I’ve got a podcast to record in 10 minutes, so it’ll be quiet here for a bit. Discuss Bay’s departure amongst yourselves, if you’d like.

Now we’ll have something to discuss on the podcast, I suppose.

The New York Mets today announced outfielder Lucas Duda underwent surgery yesterday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan to repair a fracture in his right wrist.  The procedure was performed by Dr. Andrew Weiland, the Mets’ hand specialist. The fracture occurred while Duda was moving furniture last month at his apartment in Southern California. Duda will be discharged from HSS today and is expected to be ready for Spring Training in February.

– Mets press release.

LOLMets?

I, for one, would like more details about the furniture. What style of interior design does a man like Lucas Duda favor? WHY ARE THE METS NOT BEING MORE FORTHCOMING ABOUT LUCAS DUDA’S DECOR?

Here’s hoping the Dude is good to go come springtime.

Manny Ramirez is headed for the Dominican Republic to restart a baseball career that could continue in Japan, The Post has learned.

According to a person with knowledge of the situation, three Japanese teams want to see the 40-year-old Ramirez play in games for Las Aguilas in order to gauge if he is worth signing.

Ramirez is slated to leave Florida tomorrow and travel to his native Dominican where the winter league is under way.

– George A. King III, N.Y. Post.

In case you’ve forgotten, Manny Ramirez: a) bats right-handed, b) was an excellent hitter as recently as 2010, c) is sometimes willing to stand in an outfield corner while his team is on defense and d) is Manny Ramirez. I think you see where I’m going with this.

I’m mostly kidding. But I’m definitely rooting for the Mets to acquire Manny Ramirez just for the sheer spectacle of it all, from the day they sign him until the day it inevitably ends poorly.

Here is Manny Ramirez getting whacked in the face by his own dreads during Spring Training:

Before and after exercising Dickey’s $5 million option for 2013 last week, it was natural for club brass to discuss how to maximize his value: Is he worth more to the Mets as a pitcher, or as a trade chip? The team is in desperate need of outfielders and catchers, have an abundance of young pitching, and believe they should deal from depth.

– Andy Martino, N.Y. Daily News.

I’ve discussed potential Dickey deals in this space, prompting a few people to ask why I want the Mets to trade the Dickster. To be clear: I don’t. What I want is for the Mets to have the wherewithal to sign Dickey to an extension and add a free agent or two and aim to contend in 2013.

But since I try my best to operate in reality where appropriate and because it doesn’t seem like the Mets will be throwing around big bucks this offseason, I have become progressively more open to the idea of them trading Dickey in a deal for a young position player.

The Mets can approach Dickey in any of three ways this winter. They can sign him to an extension, they can do nothing and enjoy one more year of his services at a discount rate, or they can try to trade him for young players.

Opting to sign him to an extension — rumored to be somewhere in the three-year, $45 million neighborhood — will mean paying a premium for a premium pitcher. Dickey was probably worth more than $15 million to the Mets in 2012, and he’s a knuckleballer who hasn’t yet suffered the effects of his advancing age. So there’s some chance Dickey could pitch well enough over the course of an extension to provide the club surplus value on top of what he’s earning.

But an extension also comes with significant risk: He is, after all, 38, and the Mets would be paying him at a rate he established with a career year in 2012. If he falters, he could prove a fine pitcher worth slightly less than the $15 million a year, or, worse, if he gets hurt he could be worth way less than $15 million a year. Either way, the salary would count against the Mets’ finite payroll, and represents money that could be spent elsewhere — for better or worse.

Doing nothing seems like the worst idea of the three, given the Mets’ current situation. Due to the new collective bargaining agreement, an acquiring team would not receive compensatory draft picks for Dickey if it traded for him during the season, which seems likely to diminish his value at the trade deadline. Holding on to him now in the hopes of a #YOLOrioles-style postseason run in 2013 could help fill seats in the early part of the season, but if it doesn’t pay off and/or Dickey does not repeat his 2012 performance, the Mets will have missed their opportunity to cash in on him when his value is highest.

The thought of him pitching elsewhere on Opening Day 2013 is tough to stomach, I know. But trading him — as Martino’s article suggests — might represent the best way to maximize the value of the commodities on the Mets’ roster. The deal needs to be right, of course. But think about it this way: Which is likely to provide more value to the Mets moving forward, Dickey signed to a three-year extension at the market rate (or near the market rate), or a package of young, cost-controlled players they could receive in a deal for a pitcher coming off a Cy Young-caliber season?

And think about the replacements in question. Without Dickey, the Mets’ rotation is not nearly as good as it is with Dickey. But it’s still reasonably deep, with Johan Santana, Jon Niese, Matt Harvey, Dillon Gee, a host of young guys with live arms and a group of solid Triple-A dudes deemed “Dillon Gee types.” Without bringing in outfielders, the Mets have only outfielder under contract — Mike Baxter — who posted an OPS above .730 at a level above Double-A in 2012.

What say you?

https://twitter.com/BlueChill1123/status/264371022017466369
Well that’s the reported-to-be-around $125 million question, no? I’ll say that if I had to bet on it now, I’d guess the Mets do re-sign Wright, and that it’s more likely they overpay him then send him packing. But obviously they’ve got to have a limit, and for all we know Wright and his agents will absolutely demand some sum the Mets absolutely cannot afford, forcing their hand.

The best-case scenario for a Wright trade would be something like the Rockies’ end of the Matt Holliday deal a few years ago. For Holliday — with one year remaining on his contract — Colorado received Huston Street, Greg Smith and Carlos Gonzalez. Smith never amounted to much for the Rockies, but Street — already established and well-compensated at the time of the deal — pitched well there and Gonzalez emerged as a franchise cornerstone.

It’s hard to count on any prospect panning out as well as Gonzalez has, which is why it seems silly to argue for trading Wright. Still, if it comes to that, the Mets need to get back a young player of that ilk: Someone who has already performed well in the high Minors and doesn’t appear far from becoming a Major League regular, with the potential to become a very good to great Major League regular.

Due the inexpensive terms of Dickey’s 2013 option, he might net even more than Wright in a trade. If the Mets were to deal him, I’d hope they could bring back an immediate Major League contributor with some upside and at least one more potential Major League contributor.

https://twitter.com/whywhywhy50/status/264374729325047808

Very slim. We love Endy here, but for as desperately as the Mets need outfielders, they don’t really need outfielders that do the things Endy does at this point in his career. Guys who field pretty well and bat left-handed they’ve got.

https://twitter.com/TomHoeg/status/264371865206784000

Wait, an elephant learned to speak? Like, with words? How did I miss this?

The Orioles’ playoff run this year should stand as evidence forever that trying to predict baseball is futile. So… I don’t know, 2014. Why not?