It’s official. The New York Mets have finalized a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays that turned Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey into a bevy of top prospects.
The Mets amped up efforts to trade the 38-year-old knuckle-baller when talks of a contract extension between Dickey and the team broke down. After the teams agreed upon the players to be swapped, the Blue Jays were given a window to sign Dickey to an extension. Dickey will reportedly receive a two-year extension from the Blue Jays worth $25 million; he has one year remaining on his current deal for $5 million.
In the three years with the Mets, Dickey went 39-28 with a 2.95 ERA and 468 strikeouts in 617 innings.
“Now that it’s official, I want to say that I don’t have the words to express how grateful I am to you for the steadfast support and encouragement I received from all of you. I’ve always felt that there was a connection beyond the uniform. Thank you for making me feel wanted,” Dickey wrote in a series of tweets. “Looking forward to a new chapter with the Jays.”
The 23-year-old d’Arnaud was 19th on Baseball America’s midseason top 50 prospect list. Syndergaard, 20, who ranked as the Blue Jays number three prospect, projects as a potential top of the rotation starter, though he remains several years away from the majors.
The new Blue Jays will be reuniting with former Met Jose Reyes who was dealt to Toronto from Miami in a mega, 12-player deal earlier this year.
Dickey becomes the fourth Cy Young Award winner to be dealt in the offseason after receiving the prize for the league’s top pitcher, joining David Cone, Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens.
