R.A. Dickey Trade Rumors and News

There is still no deal between the Mets and the Blue Jays regarding R.A. Dickey, but reports are surfacing the two sides are getting closer and closer. Talks between Sandy Alderson and interested teams (mostly the Rangers, Orioles, Angels, Blue Jays) heated up yesterday afternoon once Anibal Sanchez‘s five-year/$80 million agreement with the Tigers became official. To catch up on all the rumors from yesterday, check out the thread we had here on Rising Apple.

Some more updates were provided to us throughout the night, and for those in favor of dealing Dickey for valuable bats, it’s all good news. Travis D’Arnaud has consistently been not available, as the Jays would rather trade J.P. Arencibia. However, it looks as though Alderson is playing to the strength of the pitching market, as Ken Rosenthal tweetedthe young catching prospect is very much involved in talks between the two teams, but having him included will bring more pieces back to Toronto than just R.A.

Aug 3, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher R.A. Dickey (43) pitches during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

It’s interesting to hear this turn of events, as rumors said the Jays would only include D’Arnaud in a trade if the Mets included Jonathon Niese in the package, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Also, earlier yesterday afternoon, reports said center fielder Anthony Gose would not be included in a deal, but Jon Morosi reports the opposite, saying the young outfield prospect will also be part of this deal. According to Jon Heyman (reported by MetsBlog), the basic structure of the deal is D’Arnaud and Gose for Dickey, but there will be more players involved, likely from the Mets side.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports tweeted that sources say the teams are checking out medical records, which could be the final hoop to jump through to get a deal done. Matthew Cerrone tweeted the Jays would likely want to talk to Dickey about an extension, but he doesn’t anticipate he’s interested. Although we aren’t sure of the details just yet, it certainly looks like this will become a reality, as Sandy Alderson is on the verge of acquiring arguably the best catching prospect in the MiLB, along with a highly regarded outfield prospect that can play center field and lead off. Both are coming at bargains since they’re under team control, giving the Mets even more payroll flexibility to get another outfielder on the free agent market.

If this trade does become official, it will certainly benefit both teams. For the Mets, the benefits are pretty obvious; however, they’d also be able to hold onto Jonathon Niese (at a bargain) until he becomes a free agent in 2017, and fill gaping holes at two positions with very young players that could help the team immediately. For the Jays, this looks to be the final piece in their off-season overhaul, as the blockbuster trade they pulled off with the Marlins automatically put them in post-season contention. Adding Dickey to a rotation that now includes Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Ricky Romero, and Brandon Morrow is pretty intimidating on paper. Combine that with the offense they have, and John Gibbons is really excited to be managing again.

I said it last night, but I’ll say it again right here; I’m sad to see R.A. Dickey go. He’s a class act and quickly became one of my favorite Met players not only because of how he pitched, but how he carries himself. I know this is the best move for the team, but it certainly pulls on my heart strings. However, at 38-years-old, no one knows how much longer he has in this game, even though he throws a knuckleball, and after all the crap he’s been through in his career, he deserves a chance to win right now. If he gets sent to Toronto, he’ll get that chance. I know he wants to stay in New York, but I’d take an immediate chance to get to the postseason and win a World Series any day, I know we’ll all be rooting for R.A. next season if he’s no longer a Met before the weekend is through.

We’ll continue to update you right here at Rising Apple as more details surface.