R.A. Dickey, Angel Pagan present terms

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Right-hander R.A. Dickey and outfielder Angel Pagan should be in line for big raises as arbitration-eligible players coming off strong 2010 showings.

Just how big their raises will be remains to be determined, though.

The Mets and the representatives for those players officially exchanged figures Tuesday. If the sides cannot settle in the next few weeks, an arbitrator will choose one of the figures after an early February hearing in Florida.

Dickey filed for $4.7 million, with the Mets countering at $3.35 million.

Pagan filed for $4.2 million, with the Mets countering at $3.0625 million.

Right-hander Mike Pelfrey, also arbitration-eligible, settled for $3.925 million with the opportunity to earn an additional $50,000 in incentives.

Dickey, 36, joined the organization last offseason on a minor league contract and was one of the first cuts from big league camp last spring training. Yet the knuckleballer ultimately became a feel-good story and major contributor to the rotation after Oliver Perez and John Maine faltered, going 11-9 with a 2.84 ERA in 27 appearances (26 starts). Dickey, who made roughly $572,865 last season, was among the finalists for NL Comeback Player of the Year.

Assuming Dickey is on the Mets' major league roster or disabled list for 165 of 183 days during the upcoming season, he will have enough service time to be eligible for free agency next offseason. Dickey has expressed interest in signing a multi-year deal with the Mets, although the organization has not shown as much interest in such a deal at this point.

Pagan, 29, earned $1,662,500 last season with bonuses while setting career highs for games, starts, at-bats, runs, hits, doubles, homers, RBIs, stolen bases and walks. He is not eligible for free agency until after the 2012 season.

Pelfrey, who turned 27 last Friday, made $3.3 million in 2009 as part of his original deal after signing as a first-round pick in 2005. But he did not yet have enough service time last offseason to be arbitration-eligible, so his salary dipped to $500,000 this past year. He raced to a 9-1 start last season before a summer swoon, but nonetheless finished with a 15-9 record and 3.66 ERA while logging a career-high 204 innings. Pelfrey is eligible for free agency after the 2013 season.

Adam Rubin covers the Mets for ESPNNewYork.com. You can follow him on Twitter.

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Adam Rubin

ESPNNewYork.com

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Adam Rubin has covered the Mets since 2003. He's a graduate of Mepham High School on Long Island and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He joined ESPNNewYork after spending 10 years at the New York Daily News.
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