MLB: Dickey and more

The Toronto Blue Jays have taken the baseball world by storm this offseason. They kicked things off with their huge blockbuster trade with the Miami Marlins back in November. That trade on paper turned the Blue Jays into a legitimate contender to win the AL East.

Now the Blue Jays have turned things up another notch by acquiring NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey from the New York Mets. The trade was agreed to on Sunday and was contingent on the Blue Jays agreeing to a contract extension with Dickey, in which they did on Monday as well as Dickey passing his physical, which he is scheduled to take on Monday as well.

While the Blue Jays gave up a ton in the deal, with the centerpiece being top catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud, they have created true excitement in the city of Toronto for their baseball club, for the first time in nearly 20 years. While games are never won on paper, this team will be a force as things fall into place. The AL East will be very entertaining as usual in 2013, with the Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays as clubs that are all very competitive. The Boston Red Sox should be much better in 2013, but they are still at least a year away from getting back to contender status.

Speaking of the Red Sox, they have agreed to a one-year deal with free agent shortstop Stephen Drew. The club is hoping that the 29-year-old can bounce back offensively after having a down year in 2012. This is a good signing for the Red Sox, as it is low risk/high reward in regards to only giving Drew a one-year deal and add the fact that he was coming off a major ankle injury last season. A healthy Drew should put up solid numbers for the Red Sox.

The San Diego Padres continue to search for starting pitching and have their sights set on Edwin Jackson. The 29-year-old right-hander is coming off a very solid 2012 season with the Washington Nationals and is seeking a multi-year deal. While Jackson is garnering plenty of interest on the free agent market, the Padres seem a good fit as he would be playing his home games in the very pitcher friendly Petco Park.