New York, NY

The trade that will bring Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey from the New York Mets to Toronto is nearly complete as the knuckleballer agreed to a two-year, $25 million extension with the Blue Jays, pending a physical.

With the new deal, Dickey got the dollar value that he had been asking for from the Mets in their failed contract extension talks.

Sources told ESPN.com that some of the money will be paid out immediately this year, along with his $5 million salary, in the form of a signing bonus to offset the difference in taxes between the United States and Canada.

In exchange for Dickey, the Mets will receive highly regarded catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud and Class A right-hander Noah Syndergaard from Toronto. The teams also will exchange catchers, with Josh Thole headed to Toronto and John Buck to the Mets.

The Blue Jays will include cash to lessen the Mets' responsibility for Buck's $6 million salary while other prospects also will be included in the trade.

With Dickey on board, Toronto now has one of the most formidable rotations in the league. The Blue Jays recently acquired Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle via trade with Miami early in the offseason to join Brandon Morrow and Ricky Romero.

If the trade materializes, Dickey would become only the fourth reigning Cy Young Award winner in major league history to start the following season with a new team via trade, joining David Cone (1995), Pedro Martinez (1998) and Roger Clemens (1999).

Three other reigning Cy Young winners -- Catfish Hunter (1975), Mark Davis (1990), Greg Maddux (1993) -- switched teams for the following season as free agents.

D'Arnaud hit .333 with 16 home runs and 52 RBIs in 67 games last season with Triple-A Las Vegas before his season ended June 25 when he suffered a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee sliding into second base.

 

Ken Rosenthal on R.A. Dickey's move to Toronto

R.A. Dickey Agrees to Contract Extension with Blue Jays

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