Red Sox Want R.A. Dickey, Mets Ask For Their Two Best Prospects

On Monday, Sandy Alderson met with the Red Sox to discuss the parameters of a trade that would send reigning National League Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey to Boston. Word on the street is that the Mets asked the Red Sox for nineteen-year-old shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who hit .302/.378/.502 between High-A and Double-A last season, and 22-year-old center fielder Jackie Bradley, Jr., who hit .315/.430/.482 across the same levels as Bogaerts.

In short, the Mets asked the Red Sox for their two best prospects in exchange for Dickey, an offer the Sox understandably laughed at and walked away from. Alderson doesn't want to trade Dickey, and, as importantly, he knows that Mets fans don't want Dickey to be traded, so asking for the moon here is a win-win proposition. If he finds no takers, he'll still have a great pitcher at a bargain price for 2013 and he'll have the fans on his side for refusing to part ways with one of their favorites for anything less than a king's ransom in prospects.

If some team is eager enough to improve their starting rotation to cough up two something-like-can't-miss minor leaguers, then they would have sufficiently twisted Alderson's arm to pry Dickey loose. Regardless of which side of the "trade Dickey" fence you call home, there's a bright, silver lining even if things don't go your way.

Moreover, if the Mets don't trade Dickey this week — or later in the offseason, even — they can still sign him to a long-term deal or hold on to him and see if a better trade opportunity comes along mid-season, which latter's odds would only increase if Dickey pitches well in April and May. At least so far, Alderson has struck the perfect chord in addressing Dickey's future with the Mets.