Monday, reports surfaced through the day indicating the Dodgers (MLB.com), D-Backs (Martino), Royals and Blue Jays (Jim Duquette) all have interest in Dickey, while the Rockies (FoxSports) and Red Sox (CSNBoston) have yet to get involved.
According to Martino, talks with Arizona did not get far, because the Mets asking price is said to be very high.
In a report for FanGraphs.com, Dave Cameron took a statistical look at each side and says Mets should certainly be asking teams for two of their top three prospects, plus another player (or something similar to what the Red Sox gave the Padres for Adrian Gonzalez a few years ago).
Dec. 3, 7:40 pm: ESPN New York says the Mets met with eight teams about Dickey on Monday.
Matthew Cerrone, MetsBlog.com:
Dec. 4, 1:03 am: Teams can say Sandy Alderson's demands are too high. That's fine. But, it only takes one team, for whatever reason, to lean forward and pull the trigger. I mean, if three teams are interested in free-agent Zack Greinke, it's feasible and common for one of those three teams to be proactive and make a deal for a different pitcher first. It happens every winter. The problem for the Mets, though, is the Rays are shopping James Shields and looking for the same type of bat that Alderson is seeking' That said, I like how the Mets match up with Toronto and Kansas City, who have also shown interest in Jon Niese during the last year.
Dec. 3, 8:31 pm: The Mets can say in public whatever they way to say, however they want to say it, but I think it's fair to at least assume they're talking with teams about Dickey. Do they want to actually trade him? Is it a way to goad him in to taking a lesser extension? I don't know, but it's obvious his name is coming up and they're talking, just like they've been gauging interest in him for weeks, according to other reports.
To me, I see the Mets as a team taking a final shot at moving Dickey for a bat, before either signing him to an extension or keeping him on a one-year deal, at which point they'll explore trading Jon Niese or signing a free agent outfielder. But, this is the time to talk with teams, in person, through surrogates, about Dickey, and it seems that is what they're doing. I'm not even certain they're sold on the best path. I just think this is Alderson and his staff doing their due diligence and if a deal falls in to their lap they may take it' but, at the very least, they know where they stand moving in to the coming weeks.
To read previous updates on Dickey, click here.
Dec. 3, 4:45 pm: The Red Sox met with the Mets to talk about Dickey, with the Mets asking for SS prospect Xander Bogaerts and center fielder Jack Bradley, Jr (Joey MacDonald, ESPN Boston).
Dec. 3, 2:40 pm: Mets GM Sandy Alderson said today he's had preliminary trade talks with other teams about Dickey, who would only be moved 'for a difference maker.'
Dec. 3, 1:29 pm: The Mets have gotten serious about trading Dickey as soon as this week (Jayson Stark, ESPN.com)
Dec. 3, 12:23 pm: The price for Dickey is expected to go up as Zack Greinke and other front-end, free-agent starting pitchers begin to sign new contracts (Matthew Cerrone, MetsBlog).
Dec. 2, 9:37 am: The Rangers are interested in acquiring Dickey (T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com).
Dec 1., 6:55 pm: There are six or seven teams, including the Royals, who are interested in Dickey (Jon Heyman, CBS Sports).
Nov. 30, 11:00 am: Dickey can be locked up for the next three years at around $25 million (Matthew Cerrone, MetsBlog)