R.A. Dickey to Blue Jays

[Invader3K]

Being reported as done by Adam Rubin of ESPN. More details forthcoming.

[trwi7]

D'Arnaud and Snydergaard for a 38 year old pitcher. I hate this deal for the Blue Jays.

[jjgott]

Yeah I don't get it. I'll be fine eating some crow in September but I really don't see Dickey replicating his season last year again this year. I know the rules of age don't apply as much with knuckleballers as with a fireballer, but he REALLY came out of nowhere. Definitely not worth two top prospects.

[Eye Black]

Not your average 38 year old pitcher, but still I agree it appears the Mets did well on this one.

[narwhalattack]

If the Mets got 2 really good prospects for Dickey, I wonder what the Brewers could get for Hart.

[Invader3K]

Melvin had better at least explore the trade market this winter.

[endaround]

If the Mets got 2 really good prospects for Dickey, I wonder what the Brewers could get for Hart.

 

Much less.

[narwhalattack]

If the Mets got 2 really good prospects for Dickey, I wonder what the Brewers could get for Hart.

 

Much less.

 

I know it isn't gonna be as good, but a trade would still be pretty good, IMO.

[sveumrules]

I really like this move for the Blue Jays. For all the hype Toronto's farm system gets they haven't developed anybody yet. AL East should be a lot of fun to follow this year.

[brewcrewdue80]

Marlins fans complaining, we gave up Reyes,Buck,Buerle, and Johnson and we didn't get D'Arnaud?! While one RA Dickey for 1year gets him? LMAO

 

Exactly explains why there shouldn't be a Marlins Franchise anymore

[Ennder]

Dickey's highest ERA in the past 3 years is 3.28 so lets not call this 'one good season'. I don't know what to think of this deal because I don't have an honest opinion about any of these prospects.

[jerichoholicninja]

The trade is pending a Dickey extension so it's not just for one year of him.

[The stache]

D'Arnaud and Noah Syndergard? Nope, don't like it. Dickey is 38, and yes, a knuckle baller could play to his mid to late 40's. But his age is not the concern. It's his track record. He was great last year, and maybe he's a late bloomer. But outside of 2010 when he was 11-9 with a 2.84 ERA, when has he ever pitched well? That's a hefty price to pay for a guy without a track record.

[torts]

lets just note that the "one good season" was a REALLY REALLY good one season that netted a Knuckleballer the CY Young. just let that sink in. a knuckle ball tosser... won. the cy young.

[The stache]

Oh, and what a nice, young starting rotation the Mets are putting together for the future. Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard. Jeurys Familia I think will be a good closer. And they've got their third baseman Wright locked in for a while.

 

The Mets are on the right track.

[monty57]

The trade is pending a Dickey extension so it's not just for one year of him.

 

This is exactly the tack Melvin should take should he consider trading Hart. Speak with Hart's agent and get a list of teams/cities where he'd consider signing an extension. Figure out which of those teams would be a good match in trade, and give them a call. He'd get more for Hart from a team if Hart was willing to extend with them, just like the Mets got more for Dickey because he is probably going to extend.

 

As to the Dickey deal, I don't know much about the prospects, but the new money flying around MLB seems to have put a damper on the perceived value of prospects. Teams seem willing to trade prospects for expensive vets this off season, so I hope Melvin can capitalize.

[princeginterhallhelms04]

Love the deal for the Mets! And like others have said i will eat crow come September if he replicates the year he had this year! But i just don't see it. Take my chance with the prospects they got!

[brewcrewdue80]

Now that its official:

Toronto wins in this deal for next 2years. It's like the KC-TB deal The ACE Pitcher has Immediate Impact. Dickey isn't a fluke, he's done it 3years running and has improved every year. Let's toss this in, you know the story, he wasn't a Knuckleballer in the Bigs to start and was mashed out of the Bigs as a plain pitcher. He had only dabbled with Knuckleballs but then it caught on and he's risen every year since. Toronto also gets Thole who at least had caught some of these Knucklers.

An added aspect to what makes me think Dickey will continue to pitch well is he's been at it for 3years and I'm sure its slowly come together for him what gets him outs. He probably threw too many of the PRE Knuckleballer pitches to mix it up and was getting hit. Now he's established his own pitch to pitch system(Thole) on how to manage his games to efficiency. He can make the Knuckle ball move how he wants,,,,Sink/rise. That's why he Ks so many. He'll be around for awhile and while not a sub-2.5 era in AL East, I see 3.3-3.6 to be expected. Oh, and Toronto has to be East Favorites. How's that rotation? Dickey,Johnson,Buerle,Morrow,and Romero? if of 2011 vs 2012? All of them could be sub 3.6era at season's end.

 

Now, Mets:

They make a Monster win on this trade on their end. They weren't going to extend Dickey for his price. They got a Prime Catcher in the making for years to come. It's what they wanted. Add the prospect of another Great Arm potential is icing on the cake. Let's face it, Mets weren't going to compete for this division in next 2years barring the whole everything comes together type season. You go to year 3 and Dickey is 40 at 12-13mil a year and has no where near the value he has now. This trade sures up at a high level, a position that often isn't counted on for offense. I really love a Great Catcher on the cheap. Theyre hard to come by, just look at Buck making 6mil./yr. TDA is making pennies to that contract and will outperform him by a mile. Anyway rambling. Good deal on both sides but Mets really made the best of their situation work for them. Something the Brewers may want to replicate.

[RobDeer 45]

Well he is 38, but he's a knuckle baller, so age doesn't bother me too much. I did not know he's been so consistent the last three years. I was initially worried last year was not something you bank on happening in the future. I like this for the Mets, I would not give up much for a knuckle baller, but hey, it could work out well for both.

 

To add to the Hart discussion, I really don't think there is that much demand for a guy like him. It's the right time to try a trade, and finding teams he'd extend with is a no brainer, but I just don't think he's worth much. I think we end up with him on the team this year because there is no strong buyer. This of course will make people angry at Melvin for not trading him for (in blue) Felix Hernandez.

[yoshii8]

It'll be fun to follow the Jays this season. They have a pretty good rotation w/ Dickey, Josh Johnson, Romero, Morrow and Buerhle. They also have a lot of good bats in that lineup w/ Reyes, Bautista, Lawrie, Melky, Rasmus and Encarnacion.

 

I agree that they might have given up a little too much, but that might change if Dickey keeps performing at this level.

[Funketown]

Dickey has a 3.08 ERA in the past three seasons. He is hardly a one year wonder.

[RockCoCougars]

Though I'm generally cynical about both prospects and old pitchers, this appears to be one of those deals that may benefit both teams. The Mets get some promising young guys and the Blue Jays get the reigning Cy Young winner on a relatively cheap deal.

[LouisEly]

I seem to recall reading something about Dickey's knuckleball being unique. IIRC, a traditional knuckleball like Wakefield and others throw usually is in the high 50's as far as speed. Dickey's knuckle supposedly is in the low 70's, which apparently makes any break come later and is harder to gauge and thus the high strikeout totals.

 

This is a trade that you won't be able to judge for at least five years if not more. If the knuckle allows Dickey to pitch like he has the last three years over the next five to six and helps get Toronto into the playoffs it will be hard to say the Jays "lost" unless both prospects turn into perennial All-Stars. But prospects are just that - prospects. d'Arnaud has missed significant parts of two of his last three seasons (possibly 3 of his 5 full seasons - not sure about 2008, only played in 64 games that year); will he turn into Dave Nilsson, a good bat that can't stay on the field? Snydergaard had great numbers for a 19-year-old in low-A, but can he eventually make the adjustments to put up those numbers in AA and the majors? As with all young pitchers there is always an injury risk.

 

Many a good prospect has failed to live up to expectations at the big league level. This one we'll have to wait quite a while to see what happens.

[Baldkin]

I seem to recall reading something about Dickey's knuckleball being unique. IIRC, a traditional knuckleball like Wakefield and others throw usually is in the high 50's as far as speed. Dickey's knuckle supposedly is in the low 70's, which apparently makes any break come later and is harder to gauge and thus the high strikeout totals.

 

This is a trade that you won't be able to judge for at least five years if not more. If the knuckle allows Dickey to pitch like he has the last three years over the next five to six and helps get Toronto into the playoffs it will be hard to say the Jays "lost" unless both prospects turn into perennial All-Stars. But prospects are just that - prospects. d'Arnaud has missed significant parts of two of his last three seasons (possibly 3 of his 5 full seasons - not sure about 2008, only played in 64 games that year); will he turn into Dave Nilsson, a good bat that can't stay on the field? Snydergaard had great numbers for a 19-year-old in low-A, but can he eventually make the adjustments to put up those numbers in AA and the majors? As with all young pitchers there is always an injury risk.

 

Many a good prospect has failed to live up to expectations at the big league level. This one we'll have to wait quite a while to see what happens.

 

Dickey throws 2 knuckle balls. One 80MPHish and one a more typical 65 MPHish. He really is unique in that sense.