A note on NY fans and reporters who think their speculation means more than the common fan.
I remember the Mets were headed into their final year with R.A. Dickey, the reigning Cy Young award winner, who up until the age of 38 had posted above average numbers for 2 years, and had 1 allstar caliber year. The fans loved Dickey, but understood the team was in a rebuild. They wanted him to be a part of the rebuild, especially because the media (guys like John Heyman who many look to as a credible source) reported that they would be lucky to trade Dickey for their back up catcher J.P Arencibia - a middle of the run guy with average numbers at best. For weeks, maybe months, the media and Mets (& Yankee) fans alike all speculated how little our CY young award winning pitcher was valued. He is old, he's a one hit wonder, he has a lot of wear and tear on his body, he wants too much money at too many years, he may not even be worth their back up catcher... And, very similarly to this situation, I let it anger me very much. Dickey was a fan favorite who meant a lot to the clubhouse. It saddened me to see the media disrespect his value and angered me to see fans of the team follow suit. I was labeled crazy when I suggested that we could get not only their top prospect, but their 3rd top prospect at the time (Noah Syndergaard), for Dickey extended. The Blue Jays thought they were a step away from contention and decided to go all in.
I would say this is the exact same situation. "Trade Callahan for Stewart because that might be the best you can get". "No one will pony anything of substance up for a rental". "Intagibles mean nothing to this sport". And then we have media guys like Darren Dreger reporting how the Callahan for Stewart is a good trade... And the fans swallow it up and begin devaluing a player that has given this franchise as much as he's had for the last 5 years.
Do not mistake my message, I am not arguing that we should succumb to his demands.
My message is don't devalue the players that mean the most to our team. I saw it happen during/after Lundqvuist negotiations. I see it again with Callahan negotiations.
He'll fetch a lot, and i'm nearly certain that he won't be traded as a UFA rental but signed and extended with whichever team trades for him. Not to mention, I've never seen Glen Sather make a stupid trade in his life. Any trade he's done has benefited the team in some way.
Be grateful we have a powerful asset to deal. And enough of the typical NY doom and gloom attitude. The guy is worth a lot. Don't try and spin it otherwise.