The Jays get Dickey, the Red Sox get Drew, the Yankees get a Lovely Winter Day

At the present writing, it appears that R.A. Dickey has signed an extension with the Blue Jays, thus allowing his trade to go through. It has been a remarkable winter for Alex Anthopoulos. If the deal has indeed been consummated, the Jays' starting rotation has gone from ...

Henderson Alvarez
Ricky Romero
Brandon Morrow
Aaron Laffey
Kyle Drabek and other guys

... To ...

Josh Johnson
R.A. Dickey
Mark Buehrle
Brandon Morrow
Ricky Romero
J.A. Happ or someone else or does it really even matter?

This is a heck of a turnaround given that the organization's pitchers seemed to react to Tommy John surgery like it was an infectious disease, falling one after the other. I don't know if this makes the Blue Jays favorites to win the AL East, but they have made as dramatic a change to their starting rotation as any team in baseball. They've done the good version of what the Royals have attempted to do.

We know the Yankees checked in on Dickey, but it seems spectacularly unlikely the Mets would have traded him within the same city, where he could be a constant reminder of their own inability to manage their team -- and that's even if trading the pitcher is a defensible baseball move to make. The Yankees also lack the ready position players to help the Mets now, and if you're going to trade a reigning Cy Young winner, now something you had better bring home if you want your fanbase to accept your rationale.

In other news, the Red Sox have signed shortstop Stephen Drew to a one-years deal, buying time for Xander Bogaerts to spend a little more time on the farm and Jose Iglesias to never, ever, ever be a regular. Reports say that Nick Swisher is taking the grand tour in Cleveland today. And in Yankees news ... In Yankees news ... In Yankees news ...

SQUAWK. TRANSMISSION ERROR. PLEASE STAND BY INDEFINITELY.