Alderson tells reporters the Mets have talked to teams about Niese

by vinny cartiglia on Dec 04, 2012 12:46 am in Jon Niese, New York Mets, R.A. Dickey, Sandy Alderson

During his daily Winter Meetings presser, New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson told reporters talks with other clubs were not exclusively regarding R.A. Dickey. He has also spoken to teams about Jon Niese, although he has discussed Niese with fewer teams. Meanwhile, according to Andy Martino of the Daily News, rival executives believe Niese is a stronger trading chip then Dickey:

“One well-placed major league source told the Daily News that Kansas City would not part with top outfield prospect Wil Myers in any deal for Dickey, consistent with the general tone of other high-ranking executives Monday.

The overall feel about Dickey — fair or not, given the 38-year-old’s consistent performance over three years and 2012 Cy Young Award — is that rival clubs are nervous about giving up top talent for a knuckleballer.”

If I had to choose one, I would rather the Mets trade R.A. over Niese. And so, it makes perfect sense that Niese would be more valuable than the 38-year-old knuckle baller in the eyes of MLB executives. That said, it doesn’t mean R.A. can’t bring back a good haul. While I don’t want to see Niese or Dickey get traded, I understand what trading one of them means for the long term value of this club. Rest assure Mets fans, Sandy is not going to just trade one of these guys for the sake of trading. The Mets GM said today he will be looking for a “difference maker” in return:

“What we’ve tried to say to ourselves is that we have to get back difference makers. It doesn’t have to be a catcher. It doesn’t have to be an outfielder. It doesn’t have to be anything. But it has to be a difference maker.”

Alderson also stated he does not want to trade for prospects who are several years away from reaching the Major Leagues, saying:

“Are we punting ’13? Absolutely not. This is not about making a trade for four players from the Appalachian League. You have to balance the quality of the player with the potential arrival date of the player, obviously. That’s something we’re trying to do. But it is important for us if we’re going to do something — and I want to emphasize, we may not — if we do something, we want whatever comes back to us to have an impact on us as soon as possible.”

In addition, Alderson stated the following, according to those in attendance: