All In

I tweeted the other day that maybe I didn't really want R.A. Dickey in a trade, and some sort of snarked at me.

I wasn't sure about sending d'Arnaud, just because he was one of the key treats in the Roy Halladay deal and we had still never seen this five tool catching stud prospect have an MLB atbat.

But I guess I just needed to get used to the idea, because I'm actually ok with it. I'm less excited about it than I was about the Reyes/Buehrle/Johnson mega deal, but that might be because I've got holiday malaise and because that the bulk of the trade talk went down on Twitter simultaneously with talk about that school shooting in Conneticut. It felt like a lot of yelling.

And now reports are circulating that Dickey agreed to a very team friendly contract. His US$5-million salary remains in place for 2013 and the Jays engineered a US$25-million extension for 2014 and 2015. And a team option for 2016. A team option. A TEAM OPTION.

For the reigning NL Cy Young winner, $30 million for three seasons, when other top free agents like Zack Greinke and Anibal Sanchez signed for a lot more, is almost spooky. Either Dickey was really sick of the Mets' bullshit or Anthopoulos is magic.

So welcome to Canada, Robert Allen. I read your book. You're an interesting dude.  Let's win some ball games.

Also, remember when you talked about Johan Santana's no hitter, and there was an anonymous photobomb of Mets' junk?

        

What turns out to be the saddest parting for me was John Buck getting shipped out. Buck was a major cheerleader for Toronto, and was key in getting Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle excited about coming north. He mentioned our "aura". 

Alan Ashby, who better not get poached by the Astros, talked to Jeff Blair about catching knucklers. Or, in his case, not catching them. Ashby had catching beef with the Niekro brothers and their knuckle balls. He also had to prepare for catching Nolan Ryan in that same rotation.

I also want to give a shout out to Jeff Blair's subtle digs at John Farrell in his Globe and Mail articles. Subtle sick burns, bro.

It stings to give up prospects, especially one as highly valued as d'Arnaud. But I guess the Jays have decided that this is their window.  Buckle up. The future is now.