R.A. Dickey Rumors Flying

The R.A. Dickey rumors have been flying fast and furious on Thursday, beginning with things looking good for signing the knuckleballer  to an extension, ending with just the opposite.

The morning began with quotes from Dickey at an event Wednesday night, saying, “I would say there’s been some progress, sure” towards a new deal.

Later in the morning Fox’s bow tie-wearing midget Ken Rosenthal tweeted:

Mets showing little interest in signing Dickey to extension.

Hmm, sounds a lot like the Jose Reyes negotiations from last year, when Sandy Alderson publicly said one thing but privately did another.

Then Joel Sherman reported in the New York Post that there is a “substantial gap” between what Dickey wants and what the Mets would like to pay him.

Matthew Cerrone expanded upon this on Mets Blog, writing:

Insiders at the GM Meetings tell me Dickey will want four years, and probably $50 million after 2013, but the Mets are thinking more like two years and $20 million.

Who knows what to believe at this point, but if Dickey is indeed looking for a four-year deal for that kind of money, the Mets would be smart to trade him right now. There is no way any 38-year-old player should be signed for four years for any amount of money. Two years is even a stretch, but an argument could be made that it is reasonable for a knuckleballer who pitched the way Dickey did in 2012.

Don’t forget, the Mets do not have to make any moves right away. He is signed for just $5 million for 2013, so if the Mets can’t agree on an extension or the right trade deal does not come along, the Mets can simply open the season with Dickey in the rotation. If he’s pitching well, the Mets might be able to get even more at the trade deadline from a desperate than they could get now.

The only risk is that he falters and his trade value slips away. Knowing the Mets luck, that could easily happen.

Or perhaps R.A. Dickey can pitch the Mets into contention. We can always dream, can’t we?