The Atlanta Braves have made their first move of what promises to be an extremely active offseason for the struggling franchise. The team announced on Thursday that it has signed 42-year-old former Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey to a one-year contract. It also includes a team option for the 2018 season.
Welcome to #BravesCountry @RADickey43! #ChopOn pic.twitter.com/0gL6uVUmpK
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 10, 2016
After earning the top pitching award in the National League with the New York Mets back in 2012, Dickey was shipped off to the Toronto Blue Jays for a package that included Travis d’Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard.
Unfortunately, the knuckle-ball pitcher struggled to live up to expectations up north, posting a 49-52 record with a 4.05 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in four seasons. This came on the heels of him recording a 20-6 mark with a 2.73 ERA during his Cy Young 2012 campaign.
With all that said, Dickey will provide Atlanta with the innings eater it most definitely needs near the top of its rotation. Prior to dealing with injuries in 2016, Dickey had put up 200-plus innings in each of the past five seasons.
The terms of the deal are not yet known.