Jon Paul Morosi of MLB Network has reported that the Yankees have come to an agreement with the Blue Jays to send J.A Happ to New York, although nothing is yet official.
J.A. Happ trade agreement to #Yankees is in place, source confirms. @MLB @MLBNetwork #BlueJays
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 26, 2018
The left-hander will slot into Luis Cessa’s spot in the rotation, formerly occupied by Domingo German who struggled mightily with the big league club (5.68 ERA in 82.1 IP). Happ, 35, has put up solid numbers thus far in 2018, with a 4.18 ERA/3.84 FIP to go with 130 strikeouts in 114 innings of work.
In exchange, Toronto will receive a pair of players in INF Brandon Drury and OF Billy McKinney. Drury, 25, was acquired this past offseason to play 3rd base with the Bombers, but due to DL time and the emergence of Miguel Andujar, he found himself without a spot on the big league roster.
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McKinney is former 1st-rounder who was sent to the Yankees back in 2016 from the Cubs in the Aroldis Chapman deal, along with Gleyber Torres and others. The 23-year-old has struggled in 55 Triple-A games in 2018, slashing a mere .227/.297/.498 with five homers. And since McKinney will be Rule-5 eligible, he likely had no future in the organization.
Once the trade with Toronto is official, the Yankees will own a rotation of:
- Luis Severino (RHP)
- Masahiro Tanaka (RHP)
- J.A Happ (LHP)
- Sonny Gray (RHP)
- CC Sabathia (LHP)
The #Yankees have reportedly acquired #BlueJays LHP J.A. Happ for 3B Brandon Drury and OF Billy McKinney. #TradeDeadline pic.twitter.com/C1iDYocZol
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 26, 2018
Although Happ isn’t a prized name like deGrom or Bumgarner, he certainly is an upgrade over Domingo German or Luis Cessa, not to mention his veteran presence to go with postseason experience.