R.A. Dickey owns a 3.13 ERA in parts of three seasons with the Mets, and he'll earn $4.25MM this year before a $5MM club option ($300K buyout) comes into play for 2013. Dickey is thinking beyond next season though, admitting to Mike Puma of The New York Post that he is open to a contract extension.
"I like it here and I want to be here,” he said. “I feel like the team is moving in the right direction, and I want to be a part of the solution. Now it’s up to them. If I’m in those plans, [addressing the contract] is one way to make it known."
Dickey, 37, is one of the biggest bargains in baseball and as Ben Nicholson-Smith wrote in our Contract Issues series, the club is very likely to exercise his option. He signed a two-year, $7.8MM deal prior to last season and an extension could look very similar, another year or two at $5-6MM annually on top of the option for 2013.
Certainly someone I would like to see extended. He always seems to turn in a quality start and give the team a decent chance to win. Could easily fill in as a 4th of 5th starter behind Niese, Harvey, Wheeler, and hopefully Mejia in a couple years.
Don’t hold your breath on a starting mejia, He has yet to throw even 95 innings in a season, and has had two arm injuries.
He’s 37, but he’s a knuckleballer. He could be around for 5 more years, maybe more. He always gives you a solid outing.
Wakefield retired when he was 45 so I think Dickey could be around for a few more years.
Years don’t matter if he isn’t serviceable for that long.
If I were them I’d extend him to the tune of 2 years/$14MM with $5MM in ’13, $6MM in ’14 and $8MM in ’15.