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Tuesday, Dec 18, 2012 8:47 AM UTC

Cy ya later: Mets trade Dickey to Blue Jays

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Topics: From the Wires,

Cy ya later: Mets trade Dickey to Blue JaysFILE - This Feb. 22, 2012 file photo shows Toronto Blue Jays catcher Travis d'Arnaud, right, making a throw to first base as catcher Jeff Mathis, left, watches during the first official workout at spring training baseball in Dunedin, Fla. A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that R.A. Dickey and the Blue Jays have agreed on a new contract, clearing the way for the New York Mets to trade the Cy Young winner to Toronto. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, because the trade was not yet complete. The Mets would get prized catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud as the centerpiece of the multiplayer swap. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)(Credit: AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Cy ya later.

R.A. Dickey and his nasty knuckleball are headed north of the border.

After weeks of speculation and then a weekend spent ironing out the last few details, the New York Mets finally traded the NL Cy Young Award winner to the Toronto Blue Jays in a seven-player swap Monday.

Toronto acquired the 38-year-old Dickey and catchers Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas. The Mets got top catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud and veteran catcher John Buck, plus minor league right-hander Noah Syndergaard and outfielder Wuilmer Becerra.

Earlier in the day, Dickey and the busy Blue Jays agreed to a new contract, clearing the way for New York to send him to a team that’s spending a lot of money trying to join baseball’s elite.

General manager Sandy Alderson said the Mets didn’t completely decide to trade Dickey until they saw the final package that Toronto offered.

“This was a complicated deal,” Alderson said on a conference call.

Dickey broke the news even before the teams did.

A few minutes ahead of the trade announcement, he tweeted his thanks to Mets fans and added he was all set to pitch for the Blue Jays.

“Now that it’s official, I want to say that I don’t have the words to express how grateful I am to you for the steadfast support,” Dickey posted on Twitter. “Thank you for making me feel wanted.”

“Looking forward to a new chapter with the Jays,” he wrote.

Dickey was already signed for $5.25 million next year. His new contract adds two more seasons for $25 million — he will get $12 million in both 2014 and 2015, plus there’s a club option for 2016 at $12 million with a $1 million buyout.

Toronto has now acquired All-Stars Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Melky Cabrera and Dickey since the season ended.

“We’re just so close to contention,” Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos said. “It’s not just about one season. This allows us to put what we feel is a contending team together for an extended run, for a three- to five-year period.”

Dickey needed to pass a physical before the teams announced the deal. He became the fourth pitcher to win the Cy Young and be traded before the next season, joining David Cone, Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens.

Alderson said the Mets’ preference going into the offseason was to sign Dickey to a multiyear deal. But as the winter meetings approached in early December, Alderson said Dickey’s value “in a possible trade was also sky-rocketing. At some point, those lines crossed.”

Several teams made runs at a deal for Dickey, with Texas and the Los Angeles Angels among those in the mix. Alderson said while some clubs popped in and out of trade talks, Toronto’s interest remained steady.

The Blue Jays have missed the playoffs since winning their second straight World Series crown in 1993, and have boldly moved to reshape a team that went 73-89 last season in the rugged AL East.

Dickey was 20-6 with a 2.73 ERA last season, capping his rapid rise from the majors’ scrap heap to an ace pitcher. He did it by perfecting a way to throw his floater faster than previous knuckleballers, and tossing it with exceptional control.

“It was an extraordinary privilege for us to be part of his career,” Alderson said. “The final chapter has not been written.”

Dickey joins a stellar Toronto rotation that includes Johnson, Buehrle and returning starters Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow.

“We clearly are convinced this can be a front-line starter for us,” Anthopoulos said. “I don’t think he gets the credit or the respect he deserves because of his age, and because of what he does throw. And I understand because it’s so rare.

“But there’s so much overwhelming data and evidence that points to him continuing to have this success.”

Thole gives the Blue Jays a catcher who is familiar with handling Dickey’s knuckleball, and Anthopoulos said that relationship was a key to the deal.

“R.A. is too important to our chances to take a chance and have a tryout camp to see if someone can catch him,” he said.

Despite a big spot in the rotation to fill minus Dickey, Alderson said the Mets were not giving up on next season.

“We certainly are not punting on 2013,” he said.

Alderson called d’Arnaud, who turns 24 in February, the top catching prospect in the minors and predicted he could contribute on the major league level next year. He hit .333 at Triple-A Las Vegas with 16 homers and 52 RBIs before tearing a knee ligament trying to break up a double play in June.

Popular with Mets fans, Dickey perturbed team management when he spoke about his contract situation last week during a club event at Citi Field for children displaced from their schools by Superstorm Sandy.

Dickey said he enjoyed playing for the Mets and added it would be “disappointing” if he went through his option year without a new deal and became a free agent.

“If that’s the decision that they make, I feel like it would be unfortunate because it probably is going to mean that I’m not going to be back,” Dickey said then. “And that would be sad.”

Buck was an All-Star with Toronto in 2010. The 32-year-old hit .192 with 12 homers and 41 RBIs for Miami last season, then was part of the blockbuster trade between the Marlins and Blue Jays.

The 20-year-old Syndergaard went 8-5 with a 2.60 ERA for Class-A Lansing. The 18-year-old Becerra hit .250 with four RBIs in 11 games in the rookie Gulf Coast League.

Thole, 26, hit .234 with one homer and 21 RBIs in 104 games this year. The 29-year-old Nickeas split last season between the Mets and Triple-A Buffalo. He batted .174 with one homer and 13 RBIs for New York.

___

AP Sports Writer Mike Fitzpatrick contributed to this report.

More By Ben Walker.

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