Report: Dickey agrees to extension to finalize trade
The Toronto Blue Jays have struck a deal with National League Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey on a two-year, $25 million contract extension that paves the way an anticipated six-player trade with the New York Mets to be finalized.
Dickey later passed his physical, which was the final barrier in finalizing the deal.
The money in the deal, which will run through the 2015 season, will be comparable to the two-year, $26 million extension he sought from the Mets before negotiations broke down, according to multiple sources.
The new deal will include a signing bonus and front-loaded money in the contract to offset tax differences, ESPN.com and Fox Sports reported. Dickey's 2013 contract is $5 million.
Included in the trade will be highly regarded Blue Jays catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud, Class A right-hander Noah Syndergaard and another minor leaguer going to the Mets, ESPN.com reported Monday. In addition, the team will swap catches, with Josh Thole going to Toronto and John Buck to the Mets.
The Blue Jays also will throw in cash to offset Buck's $6 million salary.
Dickey, a 38-year-old who resurrected his career with a knuckleball and became a 20-game winner last season, is set to join a projected Toronto rotation of Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Brandon Morrow and Ricky Romero.
D'Arnaud, considered a top prospect, batted .333 with 16 homers and 52 RBI last season with triple-A Las Vegas before suffering a season-ending knee injury on June 25.
