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The New York Yankees have come to agreement on a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays that will see J.A. Happ in pinstripes, according to New York Post baseball columnist Joel Sherman. The Yankees will send third basemen Brandon Drury and outfielder prospect Billy McKinney to the Jays.
The Yankees have acquired LHP J.A. Happ from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for INF Brandon Drury and OF Billy McKinney.
The trade bolsters a Yankees rotation that ranks 13th in the MLB and is lagging behind their 1st ranked bullpen.
Happ, 35, is fresh off of his first All-Star Game selection after posting a 10-6 record and 4.18 ERA in the first half of the season.
Happ has plenty of experience pitching against the Yankees’ bitter rival Boston Red Sox, as the Blue Jays are also in the AL East. In his two starts facing the Red Sox this year, he has a 0.84 ERA.
Where Does Happ Fit Into the Yankees Rotation?
Happ will fit in nicely as part of the back half of the Yankees rotation. With Happ, the Yankees will have a five-man rotation. As the playoffs roll around, manager Aaron Boone could choose to go with a three or four-man rotation, as many teams do in the postseason.
1 – Luis Severino
2 – Masahiro Tanaka
3 – CC Sabathia
4 – J.A. Happ
5 – Sonny Gray
I’ve slotted Happ fourth in the rotation due to the struggles Sonny Gray has been having as of late. In his last seven games, Gray has posted a 6.40 ERA. For the year, he sits at a 5.34 ERA, roughly two earned runs above his average over the past four years.
Happ should be able to make a push to start in the playoffs. As of now, the Yankees are 5.5 games back from the red-hot Red Sox in the AL East, but they are in good position to play in the Wild Card game.
Will Happ add enough firepower to the Yankees rotation to make a charge to overtake the Red Sox in the standings? That remains to be seen, but the Yankees rotation improves on paper. His acquisition also comes just days after the Yankees added reliever Zach Britton to their already formidable bullpen.