The Toronto Blue Jays went into the offseason with stated plans to improve a pitching staff that suffered extensive injuries and disappointment in 2012.  Their first salvo was the blockbuster trade that delivered starting pitchers Josh Johnson and Mark Buerhle (alongside Jose Reyes, John Buck and Emilio Bonafacio) from fire-sale prone Florida Marlins.  The trade remade much of the Blue Jay roster, leaving the club with a pitching staff or Johnson, Brandon Morrow, Buerhle, Ricky Romero and JA Happ.

General manager Alex Anthopolous clearly felt further improvements were needed to the starting five, as early indications have the club completing a massive trade with the New York Mets for 2012 CY Young Award Winner RA Dickey.  Dickey, 38, exceeded his strong 2010 and 2011 campaigns putting together a league-best 20-6 record, with a 2.76 ERA and 4.6 WAR.  Impressively, Dickey’s 2012 campaign included an eight-game stretch (56 innings) in which he allowed just one earned run while striking out 65 and walking just five walks.

Dickey features a “power-knuckle”, an unorthodox variant of the knuckleball that reaches velocities over 80MPHs (knuckleballs typically average 70 MPH).  The pitch does not float and buckle through the 60 foot-delivery to home plate like other knuckleballs, but instead features one violent knuckle of approximately two inches in the last pitch’s last two feet before reaching home plate. Dickey has mastered the pitch over his past three years with the New York Mets.  While some analysts question the longevity of such a trick pitch, many others will point to the late career arc of knuckleball pitchers (typically they do not blossom until their late 30s, given the challenges in mastering the pitch) and the strong track record of knuckleball pitchers in domed stadiums, as Dickey will play in at the Toronto Rogers Centre.  His 2012 advanced statistics do not point to any kind of a fluke year – he has a remarkably consistent BABIP, while he’s continually improved his SO/9 and BB/9 in the past three seasons.  The Blue Jays are acquiring one of baseball’s best pitcher atop a rotation staff that looks formidable in a surprisingly weak AL East.

The trade features Toronto top prospects C Travis D’Arnaud, P Noah Syndergard with catcher John Buck and another prospect going to New York.  Dickey’s catcher/battery-mate Josh Thole heads to Toronto in return. The Jays acquired 23-year old D’Arnaud in their 2009 Roy Halladay trade.  He’s progressed through the Blue Jay system and would have likely made the major leagues in 2013. He has a high ceiling, with above average power, good plate discipline, a strong arm and receiving abilities.  Syndergard, 20, finished 2012 in the high-A Midwest league.  He’s a hulking power pitcher and struck out over 10 hitters per nine innings.  He’s got a long development path before he’s ready for the big leagues.

Once the trade parameters between the clubs were established, the Blue Jays were granted a 72-hour window to negotiate a contract extension with Dickey, as he was currently under contract for 2013 and a free agent beyond.  The Blue Jays have announced they've signed Dickey to a three year deal (2013-15) for $30M with a club option for 2016 at $12M. As the going rate for free agents is $5.5M per WAR, this represents good value; Dickey can reliably be counted on delivering three to four WAR per year.  

Toronto's clearly making a push for AL East supremacy, and Dickey's their ace in the hole.