John Coppolella was not lying when he said they would strike fast to solidify their rotation. After agreeing to a one-year deal with Josh Collmenter yesterday, the team has come to terms with 42-year old R.A. Dickey.
Do not let the age discourage you, Dickey is a rare case. He is a knuckleballer, and these guys seemingly never age. Ask Tim Wakefield. Dickey was a late bloomer, he did not hit his stride until around the age of 35. He is best known for his tenure with the New York Mets in which he had a season where he was not only an All-Star, but a Cy Young Award winner.
Dickey offers the rotation the thing it has lacked most… a veteran with a ton of experience. It is certainly encouraging to see that his best seasons have come in the NL East, and his numbers with the Toronto Blue Jays were certainly inflated due to playing in the hardest hitting division in baseball. He likely still has some gas in the tank. Like Collmenter, he is not going to blow you away with his velocity, but his “stuff” is a huge change of pace for hitters after facing a guy like Julio Teheran or Mike Foltynewicz. He also has been very durable despite his age.
The financial terms are yet to be determined, but what we do know is that it is a one-year deal with an option. This is good for the team because they have money to spend this offseason with nobody to really spend it on anyways. If he is good the team can bring him back next season. Unlike most short-term deals the Braves have made under the new regime, this appears to be more about competing this season than having an asset on the trade market come July. However, if some of the young guys break out, Dickey could certainly generate interest.
David O’ Brien was the first to break the news:
#Braves signed R.A. Dickey to 1-yr deal with 1-yr team option for 2018
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) November 10, 2016
We will update the financial terms as soon as they are made public. Welcome R.A!