Well, Here's Another Nice Mets You've Gotten Me Into (with Poll!)

I know we've had the discussion before about R.A. Dickey in the Fanposts. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports says that extension talks have broken down between R.A. Dickey and the Mets (or LOLMets as Deadspin calls them) setting up a bidding war for those teams who are needy for pitching.

Signs Point To R.A. Dickey Being Traded

I understand the passion of the Mets fans have towards the guy. He was wanted by no one and the Mets gave him a chance, became the ace of Apu's favorite squadron and won the 2012 NL Cy Young award. I also empathize with their desire to land some big time prospects for him, but it also doesn't mean I'm trading Travis D'Arnaud and Anthony Gose for him either.

On the other hand, I don't get why the NY Mets organization would low ball a guy who really wanted to play for them then turn around and tell other teams that they want top prospects in return. Rumor had it that R.A wanted a 2 year/ $26 million extension which isn't bad considering that Ryan Dempster is getting roughly that from the Red Sox. 2/26 is the going rate for decent pitching. It's not like he's demanding Greinke or CC money. Just 5 years ago, the Mets would have locked him up at 2/26 wouldn't have been a big deal to them but there's that whole Madoff mess hanging over the Mets.

Pros:

R.A. Dickey has no UCL thus no possible Tommy John Surgery. Personable guy. Fans love him. Almost impossible to root against. Gives any team a mind screw pitching staff especially if you have a variety of looks from your starters. Amazing control for a Knuckleball.

Cons:

He's going to be 38. His knuckler success depends in large part on velocity. No one's ever seen a hard (relatively speaking) throwing knuckler before. The Mets want a lot back even though they're cheap money wise.