‘A deal that we needed to make’
Jays GM signs R.A. Dickey to extension
The price in prospects was high. The contract turned out to be a bargain. But those factors were secondary. Most important for Alex Anthopoulos, the timing was perfect, perhaps even historic, for his Toronto Blue Jays.
So the general manager traded for an ace to complement the three he already had in his starting rotation as a result of an blockbuster trade with Miami a month ago. R.A. Dickey, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, becomes a Blue Jay, a player Anthopoulos believes “could really put this team over the top.”
The Blue Jays extended Dickey’s contract to three years, guaranteeing him $29 million US for 2013 to 2015 with a club option for $12 million in 2016.
They gave up their top two prospects, catcher Travis d’Arnaud and pitcher Noah Syndergaard, in the sevenplayer deal. They got back a couple of catchers, Josh Thole and Vancouver-born Mike Nickeas, who have enjoyed success in corralling Dickey’s knuckleball.
It was all about timing. The Miami deal set the stage for the acquisition of Dickey. Starters Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle and shortstop Jose Reyes were the principals coming north to complement a Jays’ core that includes Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Brett Lawrie. All of them are under contract at least through 2015. Dickey fit right in.
“We just felt we’re so close to contention that this is a deal that we needed to make,” Anthopoulos said. “It’s not just about one season. This allows us to put what we feel is a contending team together for an extended period, a three- to five-year period.”
Dickey is 38, a late bloomer who has fashioned three straight solid seasons after mastering the knuckleball, which he throws at two speeds, the faster one in the low-80s, which is faster than most knuckleballers throw. The Jays are confident he will age well, as many knuckleballers have.