Sandy said that the likelihood that the Mets don’t sign RA and let him play out his option year is less likely today, then it was yesterday. Now, knowing they are still far apart on money in negotiations, that leads me to believe that they’ve received an offer or offers which makes him believe a trade is a far more likely option then to simply let RA play out his option year. This was said in the context of them being unable to reach an agreement to an extension and letting him just go into the season and finish his contract. I think after fielding offers recently, Sandy feels that if RA doesn’t sign on their terms, they’ve gotten good enough offers that trading him is the better play moving forward. I mean, something must have changed since yesterday for that possibility to be “less likely” and we know it wasn’t the money in the negotiations; it had to be the offers received to trade him.

Perhaps he feels RA’s value to the team is greater in a trade if he will only be around for one more season anyway.