While the Toronto Blue Jays have extensively improved themselves in this off-season, there was always a fear that GM Alex Anthopoulos would try to make one deal too many.
Getting a Cy Young Award winner (R.A. Dickey) is certainly a new direction for Toronto from giving up a Cy Young Award pitcher (Roy Halladay) in 2009.
Travis d'Arnaud was a key catching prospect that Anthopoulos acquired from Philadelphia for Halladay. Anthopoulos traded d'Arnaud to the New York Mets to get Dickey.
In fact, Toronto traded its #1 and #3 prospects (pitcher Noah Syndergaard) in this deal along with major league catcher John Buck and minor league outfielder Wuilmer Becerra. The Blue Jays also get catchers Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas (from Vancouver).
Halladay was a star pitcher for a number of years. Dickey is 38 years old and has had three good to solid seasons with the Mets. Yet Anthopoulos traded more talent to get Dickey than he got back for Halladay.
The deal wasn't going to happen unless the Blue Jays could sign Dickey to an extension. The Mets had already exercised his $5 million option for 2013, a relative bargain coming off a Cy Young Award winner. The team and Dickey agreed on a 2-year, $25 million extension with a $12 million club option for 2016, when Dickey will be 41 years old.
The rotation for the Blue Jays will have Dickey, Brandon Morrow, Ricky Romero, and the two pitchers acquired from Miami, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle.
Thole was Dickey's catcher for the Mets and has experience catching the knuckleballer. Thole and Nickeas aren't known for their offense. Buck is a catcher with power and d'Arnaud, ranked as MLB's #11 prospect, has tremendous potential as an offensive catcher.
Knuckleball pitchers can last longer than normal pitchers so the age issue isn't as dramatic. And Dickey hasn't pitched much in the majors for a 38-year-old. But this puts even more pressure on Toronto to win in 2013. Deals with that much pressure don't usually work out well.
Baseball's consensus is that Toronto fleeced the Marlins in the deal earlier this winter. But Toronto was so far down and has been so far back that losing out in the Dickey deal could have negative near-term consequences.
Jon Stewart won't be happy that Dickey is no longer in Queens. Blue Jays fans are very glad to have Dickey north of the border. If Toronto doesn't win with Dickey, the team will severely regret trading d'Arnaud. If Dickey is the difference, Mets fans may still be happy with what they got and Blue Jays fans will forgive the deal.
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