The Braves have announced a one-year deal with free agent righty R.A. Dickey. The contract comes with a $8MM guarantee, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (via Twitter). That includes a $500K buyout of a 2018 option, which the team can exercise for $8MM.
Atlanta has long been said to be seeking multiple starters this winter, with the team interested in top-quality arms but also seeking to limit the length of any guarantees. This contract seems to accomplish what Atlanta hoped to do with at least one slot, plugging in a sturdy veteran without committing to a long-term deal.
MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes predicted both the match and the guarantee in his ranking of the top fifty free agents. The 42-year-old is a native of Nashville and starred at the University of Tennessee, so the move will allow him to live closer to home.
[RELATED: Updated Braves Depth Chart]
With Atlanta, the veteran knuckleballer will be tasked with providing innings and experience to an otherwise youthful staff. He notched over 200 frames annually from 2011 through 2015, and nearly would have again last year had the Blue Jays not limited his exposure late in the season.
Certainly, the Braves won’t expect the Dickey of yore, but there’s some reason to hope he can still provide quality in addition to length out of the rotation. Dickey won the Cy Young award 37 years of age and worked to a 3.95 ERA over his first three campaigns in Toronto.
Things didn’t quite turn out as hoped last year, though, after the Jays exercised a $12MM option over Dickey. He ended with a 4.46 ERA in 169 2/3 innings, with 6.7 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9. Dickey struggled to limit the long ball, with 1.49 dingers per nine hit against him, and gave up much more hard contact (30%) than had been his norm of late.
Atlanta can cross of one item from its offseason wish list with the signing, but the team has long said it’ll pursue two or three new rotation pieces. Whether or not trade or free agency will provide the remaining desired arms remains to be seen. Presumably, the organization will remain opportunistic while also showing a willingness to be patient as the market takes shape.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
cardfan2011
Is there anyone the Braves won’t sign? Lol
RunDMC
Jason Heyward, c’mon on down!
redsox for_life
Shane Victorino
bsteady powers
He’s a solid vet to lead the younger guys. Possible flip candidate as well. And if you’re competitive, he could be your 4/5 starter. Cheap. Good move. Page from the Cubs book.
go_jays_go
What’s wrong with the move?
At worst, he’s a solid innings eater where his ERA will likely sit around 4.05 range.
If he turns out to be better (and it’s very possible his HR% will drop somewhat, as he’s moving out of the AL East), it’s possible he can be flipped at the trade deadline.
If the Braves aren’t looking to compete in 2017, it’s a solid move for the Braves.
The actual downside is that the Braves now need a dedicated catcher; that’s the only real downside.
Lanidrac
How is a 4.05 ERA the worst case scenario when he had a 4.46 ERA just last year?
Still, I agree that this a decent complimentary move to help stabilize their rotation as they continue rebuilding, and $8M isn’t that much in today’s market.
nats3256
I assume he is adjusting for the move to the NL.
brandons-3
I think it’s just general speaking that he’s usually a starter who will sit in the 4.00 range. He did have a 3.56 on the road last year, FWIW
go_jays_go
@Lanidrac
My bad; I didn’t proofread my comment.
What I mean to say that the worst case scenario is an ERA of 4.50.
hanks1hammer
Kip Wells
petrie000
difference makers
Logjammer D"Baggagecling
Nope they’ll just trade him in June/July. Jon Hart isn’t very smart. Everyone him is plus plus player.
Jtrav54
But why?
jorleeduf
They are looking for starting pitching.
Jtrav54
I get that but he’s not exactly a ‘solution’ for them
NL_East_Rivalry
They have a lot of young guys, so they don’t want to sign anyone long term
mtdewd
The solution they are presently seeking is to bridge the gap between now and the time when their young pitchers are ready. This guy will pitch six innings and do it for cheap. He is exactly what they are looking for.
bravesiowafan
Eating eater and good clubhouse vet for young core of sp to learn from. He knows how to win even as he is in the end of his career.
nccubsfan 2
Love those eating eaters! 😉 Long live the KNUCKLEBALL!
AcaciaStrain
$8M is cheap?
osonvs
In today’s market, yes. $8 million is cheap for a gold glove pitcher who can eat innings.
AcaciaStrain
It was kinda rhetorical. $8M is not cheap, and his gold gloves don’t matter. The Braves are going to be bad in 2017, they don’t really need to spend $8M on a bad pitcher, even if they have the money.
It would be smarter for them to spend money on reclamation projects instead. Younger SP who havent been good. They could probably get several form $8M.
Dookie Howser, MD
What reclamation projects do you suggest? I agree it is also a good idea for the Braves, but they do need some stability.
I think in Dickey they saw a guy who at the worst will be a consistent inning eater and a positive club house influence (two things this young team without much starting pitching needs). At best, Dickey could be kind of a reclamation project where if he’s going hot come July/August, he can be flipped for a return in the way of prospects or another minor piece that fits in better i nthe longer term,
go_jays_go
@Dookie
Joe Kelley (as a relief pitcher) should be an intriguing target.
He touched 100 mph on his FB last season.
fangraphs.com/pitchfxo.aspx?playerid=9761&pos…
bsteady powers
Have u seen the market? I thought they should get Hammel . Trade Montero to be their backup C
Dookie Howser, MD
Except Joe Kelly is under team control until 2020. And the Red Sox have the same intrigue using him as an 8th inning/multi inning reliever going forward.
bravesfan1998
At least we don’t have Stanton 300mill palease lol
Dookie Howser, MD
Very little downside to signing a veteran pitcher to a one year deal when your rotation has 2+ holes in it. Especially in this market for SPs, I think this is a very safe signing (in a good way).
BoldyMinnesota
Thanks for the great years R.A. He was under appreciated and was an easy scapegoat for his first couple years In Toronto, yet always gave 200 innings and decent results. We don’t make the playoffs in 2015 either without his second half, when he might’ve been the best pitcher in baseball over that stretch
csamson11
Please tell me this is a joke, specifically the end
billyisgone14
While Dickey certainly wasn’t in the debate for best pitcher in the league, he did have a 2.78 ERA over 106.2 IP in his final 16 starts of the 2015 season. So there is merit to say Dickey played a major role in the Jays comeback to the playoffs in 2015. A 2.78 ERA in the AL is nothing to sneeze at.
csamson11
I wasn’t saying he was bad, but as you touched on, just that he certainly wasn’t the best.
RunDMC
No joke. A knuckleballer doesn’t need velocity. Considering ATL supposedly did a lot of air/wind tests in the new stadium (SunTrust), I’m wondering if any of that info helped their decision jumping on a knuckleballer, where wind is always a significant factor in the ball’s movement.
xalz
It would be nice to hear that some of the new metrics being used were factored into the decision, regardless his knuckler should play up in the humid summer heat in Atlanta. There is no telling what one might get from a knuckle-ball pitcher who has demonstrated the highest of ceilings with prior use. I like the signing – its a solid move for a veteran presence with an option year at a reasonable price. This kind of move bridges the gap, nicely.
I wonder if Atlanta will test Rich Hill’s market out… Signing Hill and Dickey would stabilize the rotation and add veteran presence.
BoldyMinnesota
How many pitchers were better than him csamson11? I’m legitimately curious
Ted
Well, for starters, David Price was better down the stretch for the Jays than Dickey was. Dickey was good then — and is still capable of having good spurts — but he can’t be trusted. He’s fine for the Braves as a 27 start guy who can give you 8 innings with 5 runs when the bullpen is tired. That’s useful to a certain extent for a non-contender.
csamson11
After making such a statement I would’ve guessed that you knew already
BoldyMinnesota
If there was any, it would’ve been a small handful. I’d say 4-5 at most. I don’t know why you think it was such a ridiculous statement though.
southi
I will say that if you look at the stats for all American League pitchers post All-Star break 2015 Dickey was definitely one of the better pitchers. He was 4th in IP at 99.2, Dickey was tied for 6th in wins with 8 (the leader was Colin McHugh with 10 wins. while Colby Lews, Dallas Keuchel, David Price, and Yolando Ventura all had 9.). Of the pitchers with at least 40 IP post All-star break he was 4th in ERA (behind Price, Verlander, and Estrada). After the 2015 All-star break Dickey also had a BAA of .228 and a WHIP of 1.00. So while he might not had been the absolute BEST pitcher in the AL after the break of 2015 he was almost assuredly one of the better ones
mlb1029
But was he worth Noah Syndergaard?
BoldyMinnesota
Of course not!
brandons-3
Or d’Arnaud for that matter. He may not be a perennial All Star yet, but he’s a starting catcher teams wouldn’t mind having.
Blue_Painted_Dreams_LA
And Josh T soon to follow…
brianson
That’s right. Make sure you got an extra spot on that Braves roster for Thole! Hahaha.
“the knuckle ball is a capricious animal” – R.A. Dickey
TheChanceyColborn
They’ve got their bounce back candidate. I like the deal structure. He’s most likely not going to be terrible. If he’s better than anticipated, keep him.
mlb1029
Bounce back? The guy is 42. Regardless of how knuckleball pitchers age he succeeded on the speed of his pitch and has been trending downhill for a while.
osonvs
Speed of the pitch? Knuckleballs aren’t fastballs. They don’t rely on speed. With that being said he is the only knuckleballer 2 have a 2 speed knuckleball that can hit as high as 78 mph and drop as low as 66.
Astros2333
Just an innings eater sign.
jd44
Braves fans: enjoy watching Josh Thole hit every five days too. Blue Jays will be better without Dickey’s 200 innings just by getting rid of Thole.
stormie
Thole is atrocious. He went over 3 months without an RBI at one point last year, before “heating up” to finish with 7.
MB923
There’s no argument Thole is atrocious, but RBI are a team dependent stat.
Cedric Lee
hit a home run
stormie
Sure, it’s partially dependent on opportunity, but it’s not like he never had anyone on base. 48 of his 118 ABs he had men on base, which seems to be a decent amount (I have no clue what the average is). He had a .292 OPS in those situations.
Firefighter954
As a Braves fan I am very curious about this signing. I know we are looking for starting pitchers but I would have preferred getting a younger more reliable pitcher that we could control for a couple of years (i.e. Chris Archer). The only way I can see this as a good sign is if we got him for the cheap and we have plans for getting some more younger and reliable front end starting pitchers and plan on using Dickey as a back end starter.
southi
Signing Dickey certainly does not rule out acquiring a young pitcher. Coppy had repeatedly said the goal was to add at least two starting pitchers for this year’s rotation. Most expected a vet on a one/two year deal and then a trade for another starter. Personally although I certainly think that Archer specifically (since you mentioned him) would help the team in 2017 I don’t think that the price paid in players/prospects for him will likely be worth it in the long haul (the Braves are likely not contending for the World Series in 2017, at best a wild car slot imho so don’t need to trade a ton of prospects/players for him yet).
petfoodfella
Braves don’t need pitchers they can control for a few years. They have plenty of those waiting in the wind.
billyisgone14
I like this move for the Braves. Every team can use a guy who will a lot of innings for them. Dickey has done just that for the last 7 years (1441 IP). Add that to the fact he had a 4.05 ERA as a Blue Jay while throwing 825 IP in the last 4 years and why would people say it’s dumb to have him be their #5 starter?
You need a guy to eat innings at the back of your rotation? Not many guys on the market right now that will do that. Good on the Braves for jumping on Dickey early, and who knows, maybe getting back in the NL will bring better results for him (not CY young level results, but the lack of DH and facing the AL East lineups certainly won’t hurt his numbers)
southi
Not a huge fan of the move, but I do understand the Braves wanting a potential innings eating veteran. I also understand why Dickey wanted to move back to the deep South closer to home for him. I’m not sure which catcher they think will be effective catching Dickey though lol. I can’t wait to see the dollars on the contract though.
Blue_Painted_Dreams_LA
He’ll just bring his personal catcher Thoele so they probably have to carry three catchers.
JKurk22
I highly doubt it.
SimplyAmazin91
Braves will pick up Josh Thole now from the Jays after he is non-tendered.
Ted
They’ve got to find something better than Thole to work with Dickey, especially for a NL team where Dickey has to bat. Since he requires Thole, now you’re looking at two black holes in the lineup every 5th day.
Blue_Painted_Dreams_LA
You don’t sign him without that understanding. There are very few guys that can actually catch a knuckleball. It makes it tremendously different. So you’ll probably be looking at two black holes, but that can be augmented knowing Thoele is probable only going to swing it twice a game.
TheMichigan
It’s Thole btw
bradthebluefish
Innings eater and gives them flexibility in the rotation without forcing rookies to start even if they are tired or unprepared. And should the rookies start to shine, Braves can either trade Dickey or drop him without much problems. Good Move!
jackapples
Have fun with that Braves fans. Dickey has been so very painful to watch the last 3 years.
ronjba 2
Love the signing. Probably $5mil or cheaper, 200 innings of 4.00 era or so, great signing. His age does not matter. It’s can he throw the knuckleball well and is Suntrust a good place for it.
nowaydude
Good innings eater for a young team but just expect him to give up at least 4 runs a game. Fun pitcher to watch that’s for sure
RunDMC
The interesting trend I’m seeing in Dickey’s numbers that I’m sure ATL is aware of is this: since 2013 (Dickey’s first season in TOR), Dickey’s ERA outdoors is at least a half-run better than his indoors ERA (except for 2013, when it was worse), with it being a full run better indoors than outdoors in 2015. Why does that matter? Wind is an important factor in a knuckleball’s movement (or lackthereof). There’s a lot less wind patterns in Rogers Centre which the dome is typically kept closed, making Dickey’s key pitch a lot less effective. Considering this has been a trend the last 3 years, I wonder if ATL FO is hoping that their new SunTrust Park, and the wind test patterns performed there recently, will give Dickey’s knuckleball more life. Just a theory, but it’d be worth a gamble considering his consistency and pricetag.
southi
Good input Run.
stormie
Good spot for Dickey, pitcher’s park, not much pressure. Got a lot of flak in T.O because of who was traded for him, but he didn’t make the trade. What he did do was sign a team-friendly deal and go out there and pitch every fifth day and put up decent numbers. I hope he does well in Atlanta.
Ted
How do you know it’s a pitcher’s park?
stormie
Yea, my bad, I forgot they’re moving next year.
nailz#4life
need to sell some tix for the new stadium
rycm131
As a Brave fan I hope he finally
Ditches the knuckleball and just goes back to firing strikes
bravesfanmatt
AT 42?!? please stop saying your a Braves fan if you are going to make comments like that.
nowaydude
You obviously haven’t seen him pitch lately his fastball tops out at 80 mph the knuckleball is all he’s got.
RunDMC
That’s like asking Jim Carrey to quit doing comedies or Jimmy Fallon to stop drinking or Donald Trump to quit saying dumb things.
Without it he’s a 43-year-old pitcher with a mid-80s fastball. They got him because of his ability to throw 200 IP, but I doubt that’ll happen if he’s throwing more higher-velocity pitches that will take more of a toll on his arm (at 43).
metseventually 2
Do you understand why he throws the knuckleball and why he was so successful at it? You really should look into something more before saying he should “ditch” something.
JDSchneck
Good signing! RA Dickey is a great innings eater
Niekro
Navigating the NL east lineups will be much easier than navigating the AL East lineups in those small stadiums where the hitters don’t need the help of a pitchers velocity to go deep. Dickey is a very smart pitcher who understands the benefits of an NL lineup.
canajay12
Pretty well a perfect fit for both sides. Durable and reliable to take the ball every fifth day. You may get a mixed bag of results but in the NL he can put up a sub-4.00 era. Slot him in 3-4 in the rotation and take the 200 innings while letting some other guys get their seasoning
brandons-3
It’s a good move. Wonder how it will impact the catching search.
ronnsnow
The Braves are going to be this years “won the offseason” team that everyone predicts to make the playoffs and will finish 15 games under 500
stormie
It would take one heck of an offseason for anyone to think they’ll make the playoffs next year.
filthyrich
April: 5-18
May: 10-18
June: 12-16
July: 10-16
Trade for Matt Kemp end of July…37-68 — 31 games under .500 before the trade!!!!
Aug: 13-15
Sep: 16-10
Oct: 2-0
31-25 record after Kemp.
Above .500 once Freeman got some lineup help…. and teams stopped taking the Braves seriously. I’d still take the bet that Atlanta is in the wild card race next year.
J.M. Hall
Good for both sides: Dickey still has quality stuff….Braves need starters, etc.
Krane
Bartolo Colon is available.
hozie007
Pitching in the AL East is tougher than most divisions between talent and weather. Yes, I know Toronto has a dome but he will do well on an NL team pitching 4-5 innings per start in Hotlanta where he can get his grip. This is a good fit for both.
hojostache
Solid pickup, assuming the $ is <$9-$10m/yr. I think he can be a solid #4, even at 42ish.
bravesfan
Great move. Flat out great
DTI812
Say it isn’t so!
Michael Macaulay-Birks
Good pick up for a rebuilding team
tbones3141
Dickey is just an innings eater. Our team really suffered with bringing up the kids for the 4/5 rotation spot. I think we trade for a TOR/#2 starter with 3+ years of control. Then we will look to add a catcher or 3B (depending on right place right time)
Lineup:
Inciarte
Swanson
Freeman
Kemp
Markakis
Ruiz/Garcia
Flowers/Castro/other
Peterson (until albies is ready)
(*4 potential 300ish hitters. 2-30+ HR guys)
Rotation:
Tehran
Archer/sale (or Hammel if FA)
Folty
Dickey
Wisler/Gant/Jenkins/Blair/other (until 2nd half where one of Newk/Fried are ready)
I think this team is looking at 75-85 wins. That would be progress. Then next off-season we will be able to make 1-2 big splashes and will be competitive for the foreseeable future.
trade for 1 of Archer/Sale/Smyly for Newk/Soroka/D. Peterson/Sims
This keeps our farm pretty intact and then we can move Kakis/Kemp next off season to go big and buy a big piece in the outfield. Seems pretty realistic.
Doesn’t think make sense.?
TheMichigan
You’re going to need to add Thole as the back up, Flowers, Castro or Recker can handle a knuckleball. I mean if you need proof look at Ryan Hanigan trying to catch Wright, or Lavarnway catching Wakefield.
If anything you pull up Lavarway from Gwinett to catch Dickey as he’s the only one who has experience with a knuckleballer in Wakefield.
TheMichigan
Cannot handle a knuckleball*
Rbase
The lineup makes sense, but the Braves are not going to trade half of their farm for an ace pitcher. I really doubt the package you offered will get you Archer/Sale/Quintana/…, although it will probably get you Smyly. However, he is another very big ??? and more likely than not will not be worth the prospects that you give up. The Braves are better off giving that spot to the youngsters or signing a high-risk, high-reward pitcher to a one year deal (Brett Anderson, Derek Holland, Doug Fister etc…).
Rotation:
Teheran
Acquisition
Dickey
Folty
……..prospect……..
tbones3141
Provide your lineup/rotation…preferred and perfect? Its fun seeing what people hope for/settle for…
See if you can put it in the same format as i did above. I keep track of these for future useage. IE looking back to see what happened/worked out
flowerybranchbrave
Too early to see what this move can bring to the Braves but with Teheran,Folty,Dickey,Collmenter and a slew of prospects to take the 5 spots who knows what can happen.At worst it could be 8 million thrown down the drain but he could be worth it and If he doesn’t pan out cut him loose and free up the roster spot.The Brave’s have pissed away alot more money than that in the last few years.Whatever the case may be his era of 4.5 or so is still better than the 5+ of Wisler and the 7+ of Blair!
bravesfan1998
This sounds more right collmenter did a good job last year for real
Jay fan since 77
Thankfully the only stat that matters anymore is innings pitched. You got a great one in that regard, of course if wins mattered, well that’s a different story! Still can’t believe the Jays traded him for Syndergaard!
jlivers77
No UCL he could pitch forever
bravesfan1998
When the mets had them the braves couldn’t hit jack sh*t off em lol he is better in the NL
mikefoxx
Hey braves fans i think this is a good signing for you. He got a lot of crap for not performing as well as we thought be he was still pretty good. Im a jays fan and i like dickey. Ive met him as well. Class act who eats innings and i think his stats will be better back in the nl. Thats the bottom line for how your team is doing i think he can help. Bottomline.