Royals meet with Mets on R.A. Dickey in search for top starter

The Royals have expressed interest in knuckleballer R.A. Dickey and have met with the Mets to discuss a possible trade for the NL's Cy Young winner. (Marc Serota/Getty Images)

The Royals are in the hunt for a No. 1 starter for their rotation and have talked to the Mets about Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey, reports CBS Sports' Jon Heyman.

The Mets would prefer to keep Dickey on a two-year extension, and the 38-year-old knuckleballer reportedly hopes to sign a new deal that goes beyond the $5 million on his contract for 2013. But if the team did trade him, they would want a catcher and outfield.

While several young Royals players would work for the Mets, Kansas City has no interest in trading young catcher Salvador Perez and isn't looking to trade top outfield prospect Wil Myers. The Royals would prefer to send the Mets a package of younger prospects in any Dickey deal.

The Royals have also been looking at Jon Lester and James Shields to bolster their rotation. (The team's starters ranked 26th in the MLB in ERA last season with a 5.01 mark.)

"Our rotation is going to [be] better, but we're still looking for the opportunity to improve on what we've done," Royals GM Dayton Moore said.