NEW YORK — The New York Mets are
nearing agreement on a minor league contract with knuckleballer R.A.
Dickey, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated
Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the deal was not yet complete.
Dickey, a 35-year-old right-hander,
made 14 starts for Seattle in 2008 but was primarily a reliever for
Minnesota last season, when he went 1-1 with a 4.62 ERA in one start
and 34 relief appearances.
Pitching his entire career without
the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, Dickey is 22-28 with
a 5.43 ERA in 48 starts and 96 relief appearances in seven big league
seasons. Doctors think he either was born without the ligament or it
dissolved after a tear.
Dickey was taken by Texas with the 18th pick of the 1996 amateur draft.