Items on the Nationals and Mets..
- One industry source tells Dan Kolko of MASNsports.com that it's more likely the Nationals land another starting pitcher via a trade involving Michael Morse than by picking someone off the free agent market. The first baseman/left fielder is a valuable trade chip and will make $6.75MM in 2013, the final year of his deal.
- Mets GM Sandy Alderson confirmed that he met with R.A. Dickey for about ten minutes today, but said that the talk was purely social, tweets Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com. Alderson said that he wouldn't negotiate without the knuckleballer's agent present. Alderson also stressed that a resolution on Dickey doesn't have to come during the meetings, tweets Marc Carig of Newsday.
- No big surprise, but Alderson expects to focus on the trade market as he doubts there are sufficient free agents at Mets' spending capacity to meet all of their needs, Rubin tweets.
- Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post (via Twitter) overheard at the meetings that the Nationals had Denard Span rated above Michael Bourn and B.J. Upton, without even considering their contracts.