LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – While the New York Mets would like to deal Ike Davis or Lucas Duda by the end of the week, general manager Sandy Alderson gave no indication that a move was imminent yesterday.
Alderson said prospective buyers are exploring other options, whether it is in the trade or free-agent markets.
Some teams could be offering the Mets little in return, while others want to explore the free-agent market first.
There are a lot of reasons why a trade doesn’t get done.
“That’s always the case,’’ Alderson said. “There’s always going to be an alternative. That’s what provides the tension of negotiating a deal. [Teams] are always looking at what their alternatives are. That’s what provides the tension of getting something done and not getting something done; simply there are other options.’’
Currently, James Loney and Corey Hart are in the free-agent market, while Miami is trying to deal Logan Morrison and Texas is attempting to trade Mitch Moreland.
Of course, it could take one phone call to change everything. A team could offer the Mets a sweet deal, or Alderson can cave just to make a trade.
The latter is highly unlikely.
“Could we do something?’’ Alderson asked. “Yeah, we have that ability. Whether we do it or not is a function of what we can get and what our other options are.’’
The Brewers are waiting on a decision from Corey Hart and yesterday a Brewers official told me that talks with Mets for Ike Davis are pretty much dead. The price for Davis was a real turnoff and has them taking a second look at their internal options if they fail to sign Hart.
Joe D. considers Ike Davis persona non grata and I tend to agree with him. There’s a sense that the Mets don’t want to leave here with Davis still in the fold. However, it’s never as easy as it sounds.
Alderson told us moving someone depends on finding a willing partner.
“Everybody is aware of what we have. We don’t have to advertise that,’’ Alderson said. “As far as marketing, [other teams] do their own evaluations. If somebody is not inclined to make a deal for a particular player, it is difficult to talk them into it and get something in return.’’
We’ll know much more once the Brewers make an expected decision in the next few hours.
