Report: Wright and Dickey contract negotiations in early stages

Andy Martino reports that contract negotiations with David Wright and R.A. Dickey remain in the very preliminary stages, and "have not yet advanced to the point of discussing years or dollars," though Sandy Alderson has told both players that he plans to retain both for the long-term. Originally it had been speculated that the Mets would try to sign both by the end of October, which would keep the team from having to pick up their options for a combined $21 million. Those options would need to be exercised early next month, so this appears unlikely.

According to Martino, there's speculation in the organization that Wright will be re-signed, but Dickey will be traded this winter if a long-term deal isn't reached relatively quickly. Martino writes:

The internal speculation about trading [Dickey] revolves around the pitcher’s age -- which leads some to believe that now is the time to sell high -- and the organization’s lack of position player depth.

This seems a bit precarious, since one would assume that Dickey's age would limit the return the Mets could get in a trade unless they included another player (or something). It's possible that other teams view Dickey as having more longevity due to his status as a knuckleball pitcher, but still, it seems that Dickey has the most value as a player, rather than as a trade piece. But hey, maybe this is something for the AAOPs.

For more on the SB Nation network on this, check out this MLB Daily Dish post as well.