Mets trade R.A. Dickey to Blue Jays

The Mets have finally pulled the trigger and agreed to trade the 2012 National League Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey to the Blue Jays, according to Ken Rosenthal:

Sources: #Mets, #BlueJays have agreement in principle on Dickey trade. Window open for Jays to extend Dickey, which would complete deal.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 16, 2012

Negotiating window for Dickey extension is 72 hours, expiring Tuesday at 2 pm ET. #Mets #BlueJays

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 16, 2012

Dickey is reportedly looking for a two-year, $26 million extension on top of the $5 million he will earn in 2013. The Mets were only willing to go to two years and $20 million, so if the Blue Jays are willing to eat just $6 million more, they will officially acquire the veteran right-hander. Given the current going rate for starting pitchers, a three-year, $31 million deal for the reigning NL Cy Young winner seems to be a pretty great deal from a financial perspective.

The trade was most recently reported to be a 7-player swap, including top catching prospect in baseball Travis D’Arnaud, Josh Thole, John Buck, and Noah Syndergaard. We'll have the full details as they're made official.

Dickey was fantastic in 2012, with a 20-6 record and the second lowest ERA in the league. The Mets had one year and $5M remaining on the contract they signed in 2011, but after failing to work out an extension for the knuckle-ball specialist, they turned to the trade market.

Initially the Rangers, Red Sox and Royals expressed interest in the 38-year-old pitcher, but the Mets' asking price was too high for the other suitors. The Mets were reportedly seeking two top prospects from interested teams and the Blue Jays were the only team to approach that price.

Travis D’Arnaud was ranked the 17^th best prospect in baseball by Baseball America heading into the 2012 season. He lived up to those lofty expectations by hitting .333/.380/.595 in AAA last season and throwing out 30% of would-be base thieves as his catching mechanics continued to improve. He largely considered a franchise-type player at catcher and gives the Mets a permanent solution to one of the teams system’s shortcomings.

If/when the deal goes through, Dickey will join the newly acquired Josh Johnson and Mark Buerhle at the top of the Blue Jays revamped rotation. The Blue Jays finished fourth in the American League East last season and featured the fifth worst starting pitching in the American League with an ERA of 4.82. Thanks to their first blockbuster trade with the Miami Marlins and this deal, they could now compete with the Rays for the best rotation in the division as they set their sights on a playoff berth in 2013.