4:01pm: Dickey obtains a total of $30MM in guaranteed money from 2013-15, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News confirms (Twitter links). The contract also includes a $12MM club option for 2016. Dickey passed his physical, Martino reports (on Twitter).
1:59pm: The deal will be official if and when Dickey passes his physical, Andy Martino of the New York Daily News writes (on Twitter). It's Martino's understanding that all other medicals have been settled.
10:52am: Dickey landed in Florida to undergo his physical, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports (Twitter links). Some of the two-year, $25MM extension will be a signing bonus.
10:42am: The sides are in agreement on a two-year, $25MM deal, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (Twitter links). The agreement is pending a physical, and the trade will be official if and when Dickey passes. The two-year deal would cover the 2014-15 seasons.
10:17am: Contract negotiations between R.A. Dickey and the Blue Jays "have ended successfully at an affordable rate," Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star reports. The Blue Jays will examine the knuckleballer at their Spring Training site before making an announcement, according to Griffin. Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos is believed to have met with Dickey at his home to discuss a deal, Griffin adds.
The Blue Jays have until tomorrow at 1pm CDT to reach an agreement on an extension with Dickey, a client of agent Bo McKinnis. Assuming Dickey's physical goes as expected, he'll join the Blue Jays along with Josh Thole and a prospect. In return, the Mets would obtain Travis d'Arnaud, Noah Syndergaard, John Buck and a prospect.
Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com wrote today that Dickey may have been aiming for more slightly more than $26MM in his negotiations with the Blue Jays. In talks with the Mets Dickey had been asking for $26MM for the 2014-15 seasons, with New York GM Sandy Alderson offering $20MM for that two-year period. The 38-year-old will earn a $5MM salary in 2013, so extension talks concern the 2014 season and beyond.
Dickey joins a new-look Blue Jays rotation that includes Brandon Morrow, Ricky Romero and former NL East starters Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle. Meanwhile, J.A. Happ, who had been Toronto's projected fifth starter, now appears to be a reliever/sixth starter.
The Mets signed Dickey as a free agent three winters ago and he immediately became a fixture in the team's rotation. From 2010-11 he averaged 192 innings with a 3.08 ERA, 5.6 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9. Then, in 2012, Dickey's performance improved substantially. He led the National League with 233 2/3 innings pitched, 230 strikeouts and five complete games, posting a 2.73 ERA with 8.9 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9. He made his first All-Star appearance, collected MVP votes and won the NL Cy Young Award.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
