R.A. Dickey To Leave Mets If He Doesn’t Get Extension, Source Says


R.A. Dickey, the surprise Cy Young-winning knuckleballer, could soon be leaving the New York Mets.

A source close to the team told ESPN that if the Mets don’t give Dickey a contract extension, he is almost certain to leave the team next winter when he becomes a free agent. Speaking to a holiday party at Citi Field for schoolchildren affected by Hurricane Sandy, the 38-year-old pitcher said that he is only asking for an extension far below his market value.

R.A. Dickey said that given the concessions he’s offering to the Mets, the pace of the negotiations is dismaying.

“It’s hard,” Dickey said. “When people say it’s business, it’s not personal, well, that just means it’s not personal for them. I’m hoping it ends up in a good place, but also in the back of your mind you think it may not. That’s sad.”

The Mets are reportedly ready to offer Dickey two years at $20 million, along with the $5 million he’s already owed in 2013. Dickey is looking for a combined $26 million to $28 million for 2014 and 2015, sources said.

“In the context of the market, you want what you think is fair,” Dickey said. “I feel like we’re asking for less than what’s fair because that’s how it’s been for me. There is a surprise sometimes when things don’t get done quickly and you already think you’re extending the olive branch. At the same time, they have a budget they have to adhere to. I don’t know those numbers. And I try not to take it personally.”

As Yahoo! Sports noted, the Mets offer for R.A. Dickey would fall in line with what the Kansas City Royals just gave Jeremy Guthrie and the Los Angeles Angels just gave Joe Blanton — two pitchers nowhere near Cy Young status.

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