Dempster's Deal With Red Sox Should Interest Dickey Just how much is R.A. Dickey, the Mets' 38-year-old Cy Young Award-winning knuckleballer, worth? The Boston Red Sox on Thursday agreed to a two-year, $26.5 million contract with Ryan Dempster, who is 35 and went 12-8 with a 3.34 earned run average last season for the Chicago Cubs and the Texas Rangers. Though Dempster's situation is hardly identical to Dickey's, there are some notable similarities. Both are right-handed pitchers, both have a lot of mileage on their arms, both are talented. The difference, of course, is that Dempster had a decent 2012 season, while Dickey's was outstanding. Throwing the only knuckleball in the major leagues, Dickey won 20 games for the Mets last season and had a 2.73 E.R.A. Neither Dickey nor the Mets have gone on the record with their current bargaining positions, but it is generally accepted that Dickey, who is signed for 2013 for $5 million, is seeking a two-year extension for 2014 and 2015 for about $26 million, or roughly what Dempster is receiving in his deal with the Red Sox. The Mets are offering Dickey about $20 million for those two years. Dickey said this week that he felt he was "asking for even less than what's fair." Whether that's true would be a matter of debate. But what does seem clear is that the Mets, based on what Dempster is getting, are trying to get Dickey to sign a deal below the current industry standard. In blunter teams, they are trying to lowball him. Then again, the Mets and Dickey are not negotiating in an open-market environment. Dempster was a free agent, which gave him additional leverage. The Mets have Dickey locked up for another season, and are the ones with the leverage in their contract talks with the pitcher. But whether the Mets should really be using that leverage against a player who is immensely popular with Mets fans is another question. In any case, the whole Dickey saga - the stalled contract talks, the team's efforts to shop him around to other clubs, Dickey's willingness to step on a Mets' Christmas party to express his unhappiness with what is going on - has become fascinating.