According to the team's twitter account, the Mets and outfielder Angel Pagan have avoided arbitration, with a one-year, $3.5M deal. Pagan originally requested $4.2M from the Mets and the Mets had offered $3M. The Mets have successfully avoided arbitration will all three of the candidates, Mike Pelfrey, R.A. Dickey, and now Pagan. 

The Mets haven't been to an arbitration hearing in court since 2008, when Oliver Perez won his hearing and the Mets had to pay him $6.5M. Before that, the last player was David Cone in 1992, and before that it was Ron Darling and Tim Teufel in 1986.

Pagan finally has found a spot on a team and had a season in which he stayed healthy. Now, he expected to be the team's starting right fielder and will most likely bat second in the order behind Jose Reyes. Pagan was arguable the Mets best player in 2010, and only earned $1.45M, so this raise was much deserved.

The Mets will go through this process again next winter with Pagan, and unless he signs an extension with the Mets, will become a free agent in 2013.

Andy Martino reports that the Mets and starting pitcher R.A. Dickey have avoided arbitration and agreed to a two-year deal with a club option for a third year. He also reports that the deal is worth $7.5M, plus incentives, a deal similar to something I was talking about it an article I wrote a few days ago. In that article I asked you if the Mets should give Dickey a contract extension right now. 81% of you voted "yes", 5% voted "no", and 14% voted that the Mets should wait until the end of the season to offer him a contract.

I like this move, as long as the incentives aren't that high. The biggest question is if Dickey can repeat his 2010 performance. I don't think he can, but he can still be an effective play for the Mets. I don't think he can post a 2.86 ERA again, but I do think he'll be a solid number three, or number two until Johan Santana comes back.

I just love Dickey's attitude towards the game. He's a fighter and plays with a lot of passion. I also feel like he can be a leader on this team, but I'm never too quick to call players leader because we're not there with them in the clubhouse.

In any case, I'm glad Dickey will be here for the 2011 season and beyond. Now it's time to give Angel Pagan a contract.

Adam Rubin reports that Sandy Alderson hopes to reach an agreement with R.A. Dickey and Angel Pagan before their arbitration hearing.

Alderson said he didn't want to talk about a contract extensions with Dickey to the media, but there seems to be interest from both sides on getting a long term deal done.

Dickey asked the Mets for $4.7M and the Mets came back with $3.35M. Pagan asked for $4.2 and the Mets came back with $3.0625M.

In the end I think Dickey will settle for $4M and Pagan for $3.6M. But should the Mets offer them multi-year contracts?

Pagan doesn't become a free agent until after the 2012 season, so I don't think the giving him an extension is a priority right now for the team. Dickey could be a free agent after this season, but it's a little bit of a different situation with him. He is 36 and hasn't seen much success up until last season. Maybe he finally figured something out and has become a good pitcher. Or maybe he just had a good season, and this year there will be no magic.

The good thing about knuckleballers is that they can pitch forever (see Tim Wakefield). So even though Dickey is 36, he could pitch into his 40's with no problem.

Mets might want to think about offering him a two year, $8M deal with a vesting option for a third year at $5M. Or they can wait and see how he performs this season, but if he does well again he might want to test the free agent market, and his price might shoot up.

The Mets have signed outfielder Willie Harris to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, according to Adam Rubin. Harris broke into the league back in 2001 when he was 23 with the Baltimore Orioles. The past three seasons he has played for the Washington Nationals.

Harris isn't a great offensive player, but it's his defensive that keeps him in the league, and the Mets know this too well. Rubin called Harris the Mets "nemesis" because he's made multiple plays in key situations of the game to rob the Mets.

Harris might be the answer to the Mets fourth outfielder problem, and could shack up my current projected 25-man roster.

Jon Heyman reports that the Yankees have signed free agent relief pitcher Rafael Soriano. The deal is said to be three years, with him making $35M. Heyman also reports, that Soriano can opt out of his contract after the first and second years of the deal.

Soriano came into the league in 2002 and played his first five seasons with the Seattle Mariners. He then went to the Atlanta Braves in 2007 where he was mainly used as a set-up man until his last year there in 2009, when he compiled 27 saves. In 2010 he went to the Tampa Bay Rays and had his best year, with a 1.73 ERA and 45 saves. He was an All-Star for the first time and finished 8th in the AL Cy Young Award voting and 12th in the AL MVP voting.

Soriano well be the Yankees set-up man for Mariano Rivera, but could become the team's closer if he retires within the next three years, which seems highly unlikely.

Soriano becomes the 5th highest paid relief pitcher in baseball, trailing his teammate Rivera, Brad Lidge, Francisco Rodriguez, and Joe Nathan.

This might be the final piece for the Yankees who were focused on adding to their bullpen this offseason. The Yankees bullpen will look something like this come Opening Day.

Rivera – Soriano – Joba Chamberlain – Dave Robertson – Damaso Marte – Pedro Feliciano – Boone Logan

Compare that to the Red Sox's bullpen:

Jonathan Papelbon – Daniel Bard – Boddy Jenks – Scott Atchison – Dan Wheeler – Hideki Okajima – Tim Wakefield

Whose bullpen would you rather have?