The Blue Jays acquired reliever Drew Storen from the Nationals last night for outfielder Ben Revere. It was the first significant trade for new Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins, but he might already be working on his next deal.
Check out these tweets from Jeff Blair of Sportsnet 590/The Fan, which at least suggest the possibility of a deal involving R.A. Dickey:
Not sure the lads are done. Scout tells me Dickey in play.
— Jeff Blair (@SNJeffBlair) January 9, 2016
Not saying RAD moving tonight, but one NL scout says "We want him and we've talked."
— Jeff Blair (@SNJeffBlair) January 9, 2016
After strengthening their bullpen with the addition of Storen, the Blue Jays now have the proper depth to give Aaron Sanchez another shot in the starting rotation. Moving Dickey would officially clear the way for him. That would be a bit risky, but this could also partially be about the budget, as Dickey is owed $12 million in 2016. Who knows if anything will come out of this chatter, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.
Acquired from the Mets after winning the NL Cy Young Award in 2012, Dickey owns a 3.95 ERA in 101 starts over three seasons with the Blue Jays. The 41-year-old knuckleballer has logged at least 214 1/3 innings in each of the last four seasons. Only Clayton Kershaw has thrown more innings in that timespan.