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December 13, 2012

Rumor Roundup

Thursday, December 13

by Will Woods

Welcome to the Rumor Roundup! I’m not Daniel Rathman (who'll be back tomorrow), and that means this won’t be as good as it should be. Seriously, he’s fantastic; you’ll realize that about halfway through this. But we do have some rumors percolating—some big, some small—so let’s get right into it. We’ll start with a story near and dear to my heart.

R.A. Dickey Isn't Happy with the Mets
Because R.A. Dickey’s rags-to-riches, back-to-rags-then-back-to-riches story apparently isn’t cliché enough, the Mets ace and 2012 NL Cy Young winner made like a network sitcom and used the company holiday party as a forum for frank discussion of his contract status. As Mike Puma and numerous others tweeted, the Mets are “not happy” with either the venue or the sentiment. Said Dickey:

"In the context of the market, you want what you think is fair. I feel like we're asking for less than what's fair because that's how it's been for me. There is a surprise sometimes when things don't get done quickly and you already think you're extending the olive branch. At the same time, they have a budget they have to adhere to. I don't know those numbers. And I try not to take it personally."

Adam Rubin’s story indicates that Dickey, who is under contract for $5 million in 2013, is asking for $26-28 million over the following two seasons. The Mets have been reluctant to offer more than $20 million combined over 2014 and 2015.

Meanwhile, two major pitching transactions over the weekend may have contrasting effects on Dickey’s future in Queens. The Royals/Rays blockbuster, in which Kansas City parted with a slew of prospects for James Shields, appeared to put a potential trade partner on the sidelines. Then Zack Greinke signed with the Dodgers for six years and $147 million. The Mets have to be watching these deals go down, hoping on the one hand that the Rays’ impressive haul begets a similar package under their Christmas tree, while on the other hand praying the Greinke deal doesn’t whet Dickey’s appetite. But Dickey is watching these deals too, and with a pair of pitchers he’s outperformed over the past few years establishing a high market value, perhaps the odds of an extension just went down.

The bottom line here is that Dickey is right about asking for less than what’s fair—comically, almost ridiculously right. The Mets have, however unwittingly, earned themselves a ton of leverage in these negotiations; their original offer was an incredible $16 million for 2014-15. (Have I mentioned that Dickey won the Cy Young award last season?) Dickey countered with an offer that would make you think he’s half the pitcher Greinke is. Of course, it’s nearly impossible to project Dickey’s future, but if the Mets can make payroll with David Wright, what’s the holdup for a player who clearly wants to stay?

Red Sox in on Ryan Dempster
And speaking of potential trade partners dropping out of the Dickey race, more bad news may be on the horizon for the Mets, as the Red Sox appear to have zeroed in on Ryan Dempster, per Ken Rosenthal. Dempster, who struck out 8.0/9 IP but whose performance dipped after a mid-season move to Texas, has already rebuffed multiple offers from Boston, including two-year deals worth $25 and $26 million. He will turn 36 in May.