Updated by Joe D. at 1:00 PM
Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports that the Royals actually talked to the Mets more about Niese and Wheeler in trade variations involving Myers – not Dickey, and adds that either way it’s not happening.
Since rumors first floated about R.A.Dickey for Wil Myers I shot down that notion as nothing more than wishful thinking by overly enthusiastic Met fans who see Dickey’s value as being more than what actual baseball GM’s see him as.
How can 29 rival GM’s take a risk on Dickey when the Mets themselves are afraid to offer him the $15 million annually which is what Dickey is reportedly seeking?
If the Mets don’t want to pay him like an ace, how can they expect other GMs to view him as an ace?
Like I’ve said before (and Jeff Wilpon has stated 2-3 times in the last week or so), there’s a really good chance the Mets don’t trade Dickey, don’t extend Dickey, and he ends up playing out his option and becoming a free agent at the end of next season.
If the Mets are reluctant to give R.A. Dickey “Ryan Dempster money”, what message does that send to rival general managers?
Original Post 1:00 AM
Jon Morosi of FOX Sports reports that the Royals are pursuing a variety of starting pitchers via free agency and that their top target is right-hander Anibal Sanchez.
The Royals are also very high on the Rays’ James Shields, and Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star believes they wouldn’t hesitate to deal outfield prospect Wil Myers for the right-hander.
Royals GM Dayton Moore insists he will not rush into any decision and could wait until after the holidays if he has to.
“What happens a lot of times,” Moore said, “is you get in this environment with the 29 other teams, and everybody is pushing in different directions. You get a lot of opinions and ideas.
“Sometimes that can paralyze the decision-making because there are a lot of different scenarios, and you want to give them all their due. You filter through what has legs and, sometimes, they continue to move forward after you get back in your office.”
Shields, 30, won 15 games for the Rays last season with a 3.52 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP in 227.2 innings pitched with 223 strikeouts.
Incidentally, it was Dutton who also reported yesterday, that any talks with the Mets for R.A. Dickey are dead.
