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R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

batmagadanleadoff Aug 14 2012 09:33 AM

For Mets, re-signing R.A. Dickey likely to be expensive NEW YORK — The dust has settled, the camera crews have packed up, and R.A. Dickey’s hype-riddled summer is almost over. His time in the national spotlight has faded. He is now merely one of the finest pitchers in the National League, a veritable Cy Young candidate, one who figures to play a prominent role in the Mets’ offseason plans. The Mets hold a $5 million option on Dickey for 2013. But his long-term position in the organization appears unsettled as the 2012 season creeps toward its conclusion. A series of hurdles await general manager Sandy Alderson this offseason. For the third time, he will attempt to construct a major-league bullpen. His organization does not employ an outfielder capable of handling an everyday role for 2013, as even he admits “there aren’t a lot of obvious candidates.” Then, there are his two stars, both approaching free agency. Third baseman David Wright will likely command a nine-figure deal after the team picks up his $16 million option for 2013. Dickey burnishes his case with each sterling outing. Even so, Alderson shrugged off the pressure to re-sign the pair this winter. “Nothing with respect to 2013 rides on what we do with those two players,” he said last week. He added, “Their situations will be at the top of our list. But if we have to exercise options, we have to exercise options.” Wright occupies a special place in franchise lore. Alderson has made clear his intention to work out a long-term deal. Dickey represents a more complicated dilemma. Like most players, he would prefer not to negotiate once the 2013 season begins. That would allow him access to the volatile open market. Earlier this season, Dickey and the Mets discussed a short-term extension into at least 2014, according to people with knowledge of the talks. The people requested anonymity to protect the sensitivity of future negotiations. The team elected to wait and observe Dickey during the course of the season. What have they seen? One of the best pitchers in baseball. Dickey leads the National League in wins (15), complete games (4), strikeouts (166) and walks plus hits per inning (1.004). He trails reigning Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw by a third of an inning for the league lead in innings pitched. His 2.72 ERA is fourth best. In three seasons with the Mets, Dickey possesses a 2.97 ERA. If he throws another 54? innings in 2012, a reasonable sum with at least eight starts remaining, he’ll top 600 innings during his three seasons as a Met. He’ll also reach an elite — and expensive — plateau. From 2009 to 2011, only 14 pitchers threw more than 600 innings with at least a 3.50 ERA. The list resembles a Cy Young ballot, populated by players like Matt Cain, Cole Hamels and Justin Verlander. The average salary for those 14 pitchers in 2012 was just less than $15.5 million. The negotiations earlier this year never involved such lofty sums, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions. The person requested anonymity to protect the sensitivity of future negotiations. Dickey, of course, is unique. He turns 38 in October. His knuckleball flutters in the face of convention. He still considers himself a crusader against his trick pitch’s reputation. But if Dickey continued at his current pace, one competing National League executive indicated, he would almost certainly receive a three-year offer after 2013. “With his kind of knuckleball, you’ve got to believe [he can last] three or four more years, at least,” said the executive, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely about the situation. “He’s got such great makeup. He’s going to keep himself in great condition. He’s going to keep that edge for quite a while.” Dickey would prefer to remain a Met. He feels comfortable in his surroundings, and with the trust afforded him by the organization. But the temptations of the free agency are well-known. “Look at the pitching market,” the executive said. “The demand far outweighs the supply.” Consider the case of Mark Buehrle. Miami signed him to a four-year, $58 million deal last offseason. Buehrle possesses a much more distinguished track record than Dickey. He also is a 33-year-old who throws an 85-mph fastball and relies on generating weak contact. Alderson understands the terrain. When asked about balancing the needs for 2013 alongside the hassles of signing Dickey and Wright, he cited the quiet months of October, November and January. There will be time for talks. “We’ll keep working at it,” Alderson said. Eating up innings Here are the pitchers from 2009-2011 who threw 600 innings with at least a 3.50 ERA (ranked by lowest ERA). The Mets’ R.A. Dickey is on pace for more than 600 innings pitched with a 3.00 ERA from 2010-2012. Pitcher IP ERA Roy Halladay 723? 2.53 Clayton Kershaw 606? 2.54 Felix Hernandez 722 2.73 Tim Lincecum 654? 2.87 Cliff Lee 676? 2.93 Matt Cain 662? 2.97 Chris Carpenter 665 3.02 Jered Weaver 671 3.03 Justin Verlander 715? 3.06 CC Sabathia 705 3.18 Zack Greinke 621 3.33 Cole Hamels 615? 3.35 Jon Lester 603 3.37 Dan Haren 701? 3.41 http://www.nj.com/mets/index.ssf/2012/0 ... ickey.html

Ceetar Aug 14 2012 09:44 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

We're talking about his age 39, 40, and 41 season on a three year deal. Knuckleball or not, he's still pushing off a mound with his leg, landing on the other one. This situation is quite unique. Will it be expensive? Maybe. But I don't believe he'd be getting a 3 year $60 million deal if he played out next year with his Mets career averages. And because we're probably not talking about free agency, it's more about what Dickey expects and what the Mets offer than it is what other teams would value him at. options years at 8 million perhaps?

duan Aug 14 2012 10:17 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

I think if you went to RA Dickey with 36 million for next 4 seasons he'd be up for it. I think it'd be the balance between upside and security, he's getting 3.5 mill extra for next and he's employed till 2016. Would you go for it?

seawolf17 Aug 14 2012 10:21 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Boy, that's a long time, but the money's not bad. I would.

Edgy MD Aug 14 2012 10:42 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

I can't imagine that, on the verge of a Cy Young Award, he'd cash in for less that $10 million a year. I'd jump all over it if he would.

Ceetar Aug 14 2012 11:26 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Edgy DC wrote: I can't imagine that, on the verge of a Cy Young Award, he'd cash in for less that $10 million a year. I'd jump all over it if he would. well, he's 'signed' for 5 million next year. Thoughts about knuckleballers pitching until they're 45 are one thing, but does _he_ feel like he can get through 2013 without showing the signs of age that suggest more than a 2 year deal is risky?

Gwreck Aug 14 2012 11:45 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Big money, short years. 3 Years, $40 million. $4 mil signing bonus and $12 mil a year for 2013, 2014 and 2015, option for 2016 at $12 million with a $3 million buyout.

Ceetar Aug 14 2012 11:47 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

How about a vesting option for 2016 based on 100 wins? (can tweak it to 105 or whatever works) That probably works out that if he stays healthy and reasonably effective, it'll kick in, otherwise it won't.

Gwreck Aug 14 2012 12:13 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

100 wins for whom? You can't sign players to incentive contracts based on team performance. No pitcher (or his agent) would ever agree to an option based on pitcher wins for obvious reasons.

Ashie62 Aug 14 2012 12:23 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

4 for 40

Ceetar Aug 14 2012 12:23 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Gwreck wrote: 100 wins for whom? You can't sign players to incentive contracts based on team performance. No pitcher (or his agent) would ever agree to an option based on pitcher wins for obvious reasons. 100 career wins for R.A. Dickey. You can't sign him based on the incentive to get (currently 44) wins maybe, but you could pay him for passing Randy Jones (100) on the All-Time wins list. This is basically the deal A-Rod has. It certainly doesn't matter if that incentive is for 4th on the list or 575th does it?

Gwreck Aug 14 2012 12:35 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

But, again, there is no way any player would sign an incentive clause based on pitcher wins.

Ceetar Aug 14 2012 12:37 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Gwreck wrote: But, again, there is no way any player would sign an incentive clause based on pitcher wins. sure there is. Maybe Dickey would sign for 3/30 and the Mets say 'hey, let's add in this incentive bit'. why wouldn't he sign it? Does he think he's testing free agency again at 41 and is going to get _more_?

metirish Aug 14 2012 12:38 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

There's a lot of money been thrown about in here, thankfully it's not ours. I was thinking 3/Y $27 million, he'd take that right now I bet, maybe up his option to meet the $9 million?

Ceetar Aug 14 2012 12:44 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

metirish wrote: There's a lot of money been thrown about in here, thankfully it's not ours. I was thinking 3/Y $27 million, he'd take that right now I bet, maybe up his option to meet the $9 million? With Bay (and Santana) big on the books next year there's probably incentive on the Mets part to backload the deal and keep the option what it is. Although with an older pitcher you'd almost want to front load it.

Edgy MD Aug 14 2012 12:47 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

I would love it if every player in Met history got a Randy Jones clause in his contract, reading "Player only gets paid if he doesn't play as poorly as Randy Jones." But I think you're thinking of Bobby Jones.

Ceetar Aug 14 2012 12:50 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Edgy DC wrote: I would love it if every player in Met history got a Randy Jones clause in his contract, reading "Player only gets paid if he doesn't play as poorly as Randy Jones." But I think you're thinking of Bobby Jones. which one?

Edgy MD Aug 14 2012 01:09 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

I guess Bobby J., but he had 74. But I see, you're talking about some general All-Time list. But really, agents work like hell (and the union does too) to keep players' salaries from being pinned to their actual performance.

Ceetar Aug 14 2012 01:18 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Edgy DC wrote: I guess Bobby J., but he had 74. But I see, you're talking about some general All-Time list. But really, agents work like hell (and the union does too) to keep players' salaries from being pinned to their actual performance. Well, of course. I don't think they should be either, including the murkier games started/finished/played. I don't think they can or will do something like this, but I was just throwing it out there as a thought experiment. How do you properly compensate a player of Dickey's age when he's performing to the level of someone 10 years younger and could possibly provide the same value as if he were in fact 28 and still guard against the risk of giving a 38 year old player a whole lot of commitment?

Edgy MD Aug 14 2012 01:20 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

You don't. You can try, but life is fraught with peril. You've got to move from risk aversion to risk management. The former is paralyzing. The latter is crucial.

Ceetar Aug 14 2012 01:22 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Edgy DC wrote: You don't. You can try, but life is fraught with peril. You've got to move from risk aversion to risk management. The former is paralyzing. The latter is crucial. well yeah, but the best way to manage risk is option years, particularly ones based loosely on performance no? ;-)

Edgy MD Dec 11 2012 08:27 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Mets, having fielded their share of offers for Dickey, have supposedly returned to the negotiating table with him, sources tell ESPN. If I were Jon Niese, I'd be climbing Kilimanjaro NOW!!!! OE: Jon Heyman and CBS Sports has them only six million apart, which is the kind of gap that can be bridged by a performance bonus or two.

Swan Swan H Dec 11 2012 08:29 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Edgy MD wrote: Mets, having fielded their share of offers for Dickey, have supposedly returned to the negotiating table with him, sources tell ESPN. If I were Jon Niese, I'd be climbing Kilimanjaro NOW!!!! Good luck finding an oxygen mask that fits over that nose.

metirish Dec 11 2012 08:42 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Mets, having fielded their share of offers for Dickey, have supposedly returned to the negotiating table with him, sources tell ESPN. If I were Jon Niese, I'd be climbing Kilimanjaro NOW!!!! OE: Jon Heyman and CBS Sports has them only six million apart, which is the kind of gap that can be bridged by a performance bonus or two. Let's get this done.

Benjamin Grimm Dec 11 2012 08:55 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

I find myself hoping that Texas makes an irresistible offer.

Ashie62 Dec 11 2012 09:04 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Per Rubin Mets offer 2/20 RA wants 26/28 Either way R.A. is set for life and doesnt have to really care if he pulls his hammie Nice to see he has little value in Tex, KC, etc... RA take the money and run or.. Do a Wakefield and sign one years.

duan Dec 11 2012 10:29 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Going by that he's looking for essentially two extra years @ 13 per, meaning the 3 year costs in 31 million and the mets are offering 3 years for 26. I'm wondering if you could do something like this. 3 years plus option @ 10 million or buyout @ 2.5 million. That splits the difference in the minimum value, but gives the mets the chance of the upside of a 7.5 million dickey in 2016 if he can still throw the fucking thing. I was sort of imagining a cool wakefield style deal where that option then becomes for 2017 for 9 & 2 mill buyout and then 8 & 1 million and on ad infiintum. 65 year old hurler ahoy!

Edgy MD Dec 11 2012 10:41 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

I was thinking 26 million plus one million each for (a) 20 starts, (b) 30 starts, and (c) making the all star team. That may give him more risk than the Mets, so you can also add a fourth bonus mill for placing top five in the Cy Young voting.

Ashie62 Dec 11 2012 04:51 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Sandy said today the trade environment has shifted of late.. Sounds like 5 prospects for a player..

smg58 Dec 11 2012 07:14 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Well certainly the Shields trade raised the bar for what the Mets need to ask for in return for Dickey -- especially since Dickey is not exactly asking for what an inferior pitcher just got from the Dodgers.

metirish Dec 12 2012 08:59 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

You knew this was coming" Mets insider says Mets brass not happy with Dickey airing his distaste for the process at a Mets event at CF" Paraphrasing right there but that in itself seems part of the dance with contract talks.

Edgy MD Dec 12 2012 09:07 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

"You're an angry elf."

Vic Sage Dec 12 2012 09:34 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Over the last 3 years, Dickey has delivered 12.1 WAR to the Mets. Accepting the Fangraph estimate of $2.5M of salary/per point of WAR, that is about $30m of value that Dickey gave the Mets over the past 3 years. Is is so outrageous for him to ask for and expect $30m over the next 3 years? Especially considering he was only paid $12m for the last 3 (underpaying him by $18m for his production)? Hell, I'd be asking for the $30m PLUS the $18m I didn't get in the first place. But he's not. We should sign him to a 2-year/$20m extension, with a $2.5m signing bonus and a $2.5m buyout option for a $10m/3rd year (guaranteeing him $7.5/$10/$12.5 over the next 3 years, or $7.5/10/10/10 over 4). Plus, there should be appropriate contingency bonuses (Allstar, cy young, etc). Then, if we still want to trade him, we trade him. He'd probably have MORE value then, since he wouldn't be a FA at the end of the year. Maybe signed, he nets the "2 top prospects" they seem to be fishing for. While there is likely to be some drop-off from last year's CY/5.6WAR performance, there's no reason to think he'd be less than the 3-4 WAR pitcher he was for the Mets before that, at least for the next few years, anyway. So i don't know why they are balking, except that it feels to me like their greasing the skids for his departure, in REYES-ish fashion.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Dec 12 2012 09:47 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

While there is likely to be some drop-off from last year's CY/5.6WAR performance, there's no reason to think he'd be less than the 3-4 WAR pitcher he was for the Mets before that, at least for the next few years, anyway. So i don't know why they are balking, except that it feels to me like their greasing the skids for his departure, in REYES-ish fashion.

Ashie62 Dec 12 2012 04:42 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

R.A. you are about 100 in baseball years. Try not to let your pride cause you to leave too much money on the table.

Ashie62 Dec 12 2012 04:44 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

smg58 wrote: Well certainly the Shields trade raised the bar for what the Mets need to ask for in return for Dickey -- especially since Dickey is not exactly asking for what an inferior pitcher just got from the Dodgers. You'd think so...its like RA has incurable clap or something.

smg58 Dec 13 2012 07:56 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Fangraphs gives $4.5M per WAR, meaning Dickey has been worth $54M over the past three years for the Mets. (Of course, to be sabermetrically anal, the 12.1 WAR is based on ERA, when Fangraphs bases its WAR on FIP, or fielding-independent pitching. FIP is one of those bullshit stats, predicated on the notion that all balls put in play are created equal, that has become important because the people who made it said it was important. Plenty of good pitchers -- including Dickey and Gio Gonzalez -- consistently outperform their FIP by quite a bit.)

Edgy MD Dec 13 2012 08:02 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

FIP is more meaningful because of where it leads than what is. You accurately portray its flaws, but for over a century we've accepted ERA as the definitive measure of overall effectiveness by pitchers, despite its obvious flaws --- pretending all parks are equal, pretending all fielding is equal, pretending all runs belong to the pitcher who first allowed the runner on base, etc. We can and must do better, and FIP can help take us there.

Ceetar Dec 13 2012 08:35 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Edgy MD wrote: FIP is more meaningful because of where it leads than what is. You accurately portray its flaws, but for over a century we've accepted ERA as the definitive measure of overall effectiveness by pitchers, despite its obvious flaws --- pretending all parks are equal, pretending all fielding is equal, pretending all runs belong to the pitcher who first allowed the runner on base, etc. We can and must do better, and FIP can help take us there. Indeed. I saw a better FIP recently (Beyond the boxscore? not sure where..) that took into account, or more accurately, took out of account, the balls in play bit. FIP despite saying it's fielding independent, awards points for put outs. the new formula went by PA instead of IP. Seemed to work better. I tried some similar calculations in the past but these people put in way more time than me. Niese is one of those under perform FIP guys usually. Last year was better though, so it's interesting.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Dec 13 2012 01:23 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Dempster for 2 years/$26.5 M? If the RAD negotiations divide is as Rubin described, the Mets deserve every bit of scorn they're getting.

Vic Sage Dec 13 2012 01:57 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Fangraphs gives $4.5M per WAR, meaning Dickey has been worth $54M over the past three years for the Mets. (Of course, to be sabermetrically anal, the 12.1 WAR is based on ERA, when Fangraphs bases its WAR on FIP, or fielding-independent pitching. FIP is one of those bullshit stats, predicated on the notion that all balls put in play are created equal, that has become important because the people who made it said it was important. Plenty of good pitchers -- including Dickey and Gio Gonzalez -- consistently outperform their FIP by quite a bit.) http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.ph ... -of-a-win/ ...the overal value of a win is less than the market price – in general, it’s about $2.5 million per win, significantly less than the going rate for wins in free agency.

Ashie62 Dec 13 2012 04:59 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Dempster for 2 years/$26.5 M? If the RAD negotiations divide is as Rubin described, the Mets deserve every bit of scorn they're getting. RA just punched a wall and broke his ......

Ashie62 Dec 13 2012 05:00 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Ceetar wrote: Edgy MD wrote: FIP is more meaningful because of where it leads than what is. You accurately portray its flaws, but for over a century we've accepted ERA as the definitive measure of overall effectiveness by pitchers, despite its obvious flaws --- pretending all parks are equal, pretending all fielding is equal, pretending all runs belong to the pitcher who first allowed the runner on base, etc. We can and must do better, and FIP can help take us there. Indeed. I saw a better FIP recently (Beyond the boxscore? not sure where..) that took into account, or more accurately, took out of account, the balls in play bit. FIP despite saying it's fielding independent, awards points for put outs. the new formula went by PA instead of IP. Seemed to work better. I tried some similar calculations in the past but these people put in way more time than me. Niese is one of those under perform FIP guys usually. Last year was better though, so it's interesting. ERA and FIP are both fair metrics.

Edgy MD Dec 14 2012 09:13 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Tweetin' Ken Rosenthal wrote: All signs point to #Mets trading Dickey. Little progress with extension, 1 yr./$5M looks more attractive by the day. #Rangers still in mix. Don't know what to make of that. Clarity is tough in the number of characters you get for a tweet, but if "all" signs point to a trade, how is the $5 million looking more attractive? To Dickey? To the Mets? To the Cardinals?

Benjamin Grimm Dec 14 2012 09:19 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

I assume it means to the acquiring team.

Ceetar Dec 14 2012 09:19 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

funny, also a 'report' today that the supposed extension Dickey is asking for would also be attractive to suitors.

Edgy MD Dec 14 2012 09:25 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

It certainly would, as it sure seems to be under market. And even if Dickey gets the full two years, $26 million, he should ask for and would probably deserve a no-trade clause.

Benjamin Grimm Dec 14 2012 09:27 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

I think he would deserve it too, but the vibe I'm getting is that the Mets don't want to give him one.

Ceetar Dec 14 2012 09:29 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Edgy MD wrote: It certainly would, as it sure seems to be under market. And even if Dickey gets the full two years, $26 million, he should ask for and would probably deserve a no-trade clause. Could be something like that is the sticking point, and not the money.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Dec 14 2012 10:00 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Now Sanchez for 5 years/$80M. That's a AAV of $16M. For ANIBAL FUCKING SANCHEZ. 2 years. No trade. Do it. Now. Give him a book-cave and one of those libraries where you pull a book, and it shoots you somewhere like the pitcher's mound or clubhouse. Posthaste.

metirish Dec 14 2012 10:20 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Looks like the Cubs drove the price for Sanchez up......that is an absolutely crazy contract for this http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... an01.shtml Mike Pelfrey must be thinking that could have been me....

Ashie62 Dec 14 2012 10:57 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Now Sanchez for 5 years/$80M. That's a AAV of $16M. For ANIBAL FUCKING SANCHEZ. 2 years. No trade. Do it. Now. Give him a book-cave and one of those libraries where you pull a book, and it shoots you somewhere like the pitcher's mound or clubhouse. Posthaste. The 2 years for Dickey just became 30 with Prejudice. Nice job Fred...

Ashie62 Dec 14 2012 10:58 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Now I'm thinking sign and trade and an eventual Dickey tirade against Met management.

Benjamin Grimm Dec 14 2012 11:45 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Edgy MD wrote: All signs point to #Mets trading Dickey. Little progress with extension, 1 yr./$5M looks more attractive by the day. #Rangers still in mix. Don't know what to make of that. Clarity is tough in the number of characters you get for a tweet, but if "all" signs point to a trade, how is the $5 million looking more attractive? To Dickey? To the Mets? To the Cardinals? Rosenthal elaborates: • Mets. All signs point to a trade of NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey. The Mets have made little progress in their attempt to sign Dickey to an extension, and the right-hander’s $5 million salary for next season looks more attractive by the day. The Rangers are among the clubs interested in Dickey, sources say, but the price remains high. The Mets are telling clubs that they have an acceptable trade offer for Dickey, but they are trying to get an even better package, one source says.

metirish Dec 14 2012 11:48 AM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

The Mets have made little progress in their attempt to sign Dickey to an extension, little progress or little effort to sign him I wonder.

Ashie62 Dec 14 2012 04:31 PM Re: R.A. Deserves His Own Brand New Contract, Too.

Ashie62 wrote: Now I'm thinking sign and trade and an eventual Dickey tirade against Met management. Dickey to Toronto for Arenibia and Gose....seems close