Update by Dan Valis ar 12:05 PM
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has reported that the Toronto Blue Jays and R.A. Dickey have agreed on a two-year extension worth $25 million, pending a physical. ESPN.com’s Buster Olney reports that Dickey has already landed in Florida to undergo his physical which will take place at their spring training facility.
Updated by Hojo at 11:20 AM
MMO reader “Boomer” shared a link to the Toronto Star who reports that Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos has flown to Nashville to meet with R.A. Dickey at his home to work out an extension deal.
As reflected in his hands-on style, Jays’ GM Alex Anthopoulos prefers to meet players face-to-face whenever an important crossroads arrives. Anthopoulos is believed to have met with Dickey at his home. Reportedly, the Jays have been able to agree on the extension with Dickey, likely for more than the $26 million, two years, he had been seeking from the Mets, but still a bargain for three years compared to recent free agents Anibal Sanchez, Zack Greinke and, assuming Dickey’s higher expected return, than Ryan Dempster.
Forbes Magazine also reports that the hit Dickey will take on taxes is part of the holdup right now, read about that here.
Original post by Hojo at 10:00 AM
John Lott of the National Post believes that with the trade R.A. Dickey now has more leverage for a bigger multi-year deal along the lines of what pitchers like Zack Greinke and Anibal Sanchez got or somewhere in between.
R.A. Dickey is under contract for one more year at a bargain rate of $5-million. But as the Toronto Blue Jays launch a hurry-up offence to negotiate an extension, they will have to treat Dickey as though he were a free agent.
Dickey reportedly asked the Mets for a two-year extension worth roughly US$26-million. But with the trade to Toronto — and the recent market-setting deals for Zack Greinke and Anibal Sanchez — Dickey suddenly wields far more leverage than he did with the Mets, who were unwilling even to come close to what he was seeking.
The Los Angeles Dodgers gave Greinke a six-year deal with an average annual value (including signing bonus) of US$26.5-million. Sanchez returned to the Tigers for five years at an average of US$16-million.
In 2012, and over the past three years, Dickey outperformed both Greinke and Sanchez. This past season, he posted a 20-6 record and 2.73 ERA while leading the league in starts, innings pitched and strikeouts. In all of those categories, Dickey surpassed Greinke and Sanchez.
The reigning Cy Young Award winner in the National League now has about 24 hours left to work out a contract extension with the Jays or else the deal could die.
