R.A. Dickey trade to Toronto finalized
The reigning NL Cy Young winner is headed out of Queens.
Mets starter R.A. Dickey has been traded to the Blue Jays. The deal had been rumored much of the weekend, with Toronto and New York ironing out the pieces and then waiting on Dickey to sign an extension.
Dickey passed his physical Monday afternoon, making the trade official.
The Daily News’ Andy Martino reports Dickey has agreed to a three-year, $30 million deal with Toronto, which includes the $5 million he was owed in 2013. It also includes a fourth-year option for $12 million. The Mets had reportedly offered in the neighborhood of two years and $26 million.
The Mets will also trade catchers Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas and receive catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud, catcher John Buck, pitching prospect Noah Syndergaard and 18-year-old outfield prospect Wuilmer Becerra.
“We feel that players acquired in this deal, Buck and d’Arnaud in particular, will make contributions in 2013,” general manager Sandy Alderson said in a conference call Monday night announcing the trade.
Dickey won 20 games in 2012 and led the league in both innings pitched (233 2/3) and strikeouts (230). Those numbers helped him win an improbable Cy Young award. It was the Mets’ first since Doc Gooden won in 1985. But at 38 years old, the Mets viewed him as an attractive trade chip to bring back prospects for the future.
d’Arnaud, 23, is the centerpiece of the trade for the Mets. Baseball America ranked him as the No. 17 prospect in baseball going into the 2012 season. He batted .333 with 16 home runs, 52 RBIs and 21 doubles in Triple-A Las Vegas. He played in just 67 games after suffering a knee injury. He tore the PCL in his left knee in June and was shut down for the rest of the season. d’Arnaud pulled out of the Arizona Fall League, but the Mets expect him to be fully healthy for spring training.
“d’Arnaud is the top catching prospect in the game,” Alderson said. “Given his ceiling and position we view him as a difference maker.”
Syndergaard, a right-handed pitcher, is also a talented prospect, though he is just 20 years old and pitched in Single-A last season. He had a 2.60 ERA with 122 strikeouts in 103 2/3 innings. He was a first-round pick — No. 38 overall — in the 2010 draft by Toronto. The 6-foot-5 pitcher throws in the mid-90s and is the No. 3 prospect in the Jays’ system, according to Baseball America.
“Noah is a tremendous prospect with a high ceiling,” Alderson said. “He’s a power pitcher.”
Buck batted just .192 with 12 homers last season, but is a nine-year veteran and was an All Star in 2010 when he finished the season with a .281 average and 20 home runs for the Jays.
Follow Metro New York sports editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports.
