New York Mets

Not too long ago, the New York Mets went after the top-tier free agents as aggressively as the Yankees and Red Sox. Recently, with the departures of Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and R.A. Dickey, they have become the team known for shipping their starts out of town.

It didn't have to be this way for the New York Mets and their fans.

Not in one of the newer, most beautiful ballparks in the game. Not in the greatest city in the world. Not now that the Wilpons are free of the Bernie Madoff disaster. Not in a season in which the eyes of the entire baseball world will be on the New York Mets in July when they play host to the Midsummer Classic.

'Tis the season of giving, and Mets fans everywhere are hoping that they'll be given some outfield reinforcements prior to the start of the 2013 season. As it stands now, the options are pretty thin.

"When you have no expectations, you'll never be disappointed." Those were the words of Vince Vaughn during his role as Peter LaFleur in the movie Dodgeball.

So, if the New York Mets enter the 2013 season with the intention of being mediocre while waiting until their bevy of talented prospects are ready to contribute, then the season will be the fifth consecutive sub-.500 campaign to begin the Citi Field era.

Fresh off a trade that sent reigning NL Cy Young Award-winner R.A. Dickey to the Toronto Blue Jays, the New York Mets are pursuing replacement options that can help them get back on track in the NL East.

The New York Mets don't have a lot of money to spend this winter. 

Though the team has one to two openings in its outfield, general manager Sandy Alderson hasn't chased a big-name free agent like B.J. Upton or Nick Swisher. Trading for a player like Justin Upton won't happen because the Mets are in the position of acquiring prospects, not dealing them away. 

The New York Mets have sent R.A. Dickey to the Toronto Blue Jays, and the identity of the franchise, into a state of flux, hoping to reach the playoffs by 2015.

Before signing with the New York Mets, R.A. Dickey was treading water at the Major League level, finding little success in Texas, Minnesota or Seattle with his knuckleball. 

The New York Mets are close to dealing reigning National League Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey to the Toronto Blue Jays, according to CBS Sportsline's Jon Heyman, who broke the news on Twitter early Saturday morning:

It appears the New York Mets have wasted no time in killing any goodwill with the fans by signing David Wright long term. With the trade of NL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey potentially looming (per ESPN), we are once again reminded that the Mets have a talent for making the worst out of a good situation.