The Mets have skipped arbitration with starting pitcher R.A. Dickey, and both sides have agreed to a two-year, $7.5 million deal.
This is a move that I advocated for earlier this year, and I feel that the Mets made a good decision. It was included as one of my top 10 moves that Sandy Alderson should consider for this offseason.
Dickey had an outstanding year last season. His 2.84 ERA was seventh best in the National League. His 11 wins last season were also tied him with Johan Santana for the second most on the Mets.
This was by far the best season that Dickey has had as a professional.
However, there are some reasons for concern. Dickey has never had a season before this where he had an ERA under 4.62. Also, for his career, Dickey has a 4.70 ERA.
Dickey also threw 56 2/3 more innings this season, at age 35, than he had in any other season in his career. He has never had this much wear and tear on his arm. However, as a knuckleballer, Dickey is able to have a larger increase in innings pitched than most other pitchers.
Knuckleballers tend to first have success at an older age then traditional pitchers, so this bodes well for Dickey. Tim Wakefield did not have consistent success until he turned 34 years old. Phil Niekro also had some of his best years in this 30s. There is no reason to believe that Dickey cannot do this as well.
Even if Dickey begins to regress back to his career averages, it is still a good deal for the Mets. According to FanGraphs, Dickey was worth $13.9 million to the Mets. Dickey only received a $400,000 salary last season. Dickey has already earned this deal.
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