Happ Heading to New York, Bolsters Yankee Rotation

The Yankees have added yet another arm this week. Just two days after adding Orioles closer Zach Britton, the Yankees have added a starter. On Thursday, it was reported that the Toronto Blue Jays traded starting pitcher J.A. Happ to New York.

Happ, 35, is 10-6 this season with a 4.18 ERA. In amassing 130 strikeouts in 114 innings pitched, Happ was selected to his first All-Star Game this year.

Despite recent struggles, Happ’s career numbers were enough for the Yankees to pull the trigger on the trade. Happ has a 102-82 career record with a 3.95 ERA. What Happ also has, which is of value to the Yankees, is playoff experience. Happ made eight combined appearances for the Phillies in the 2008 and 2009 postseasons, earning a World Series ring in 2008. In 2016, Happ made two postseason starts for Toronto, posting a 1-1 record with a 2.70 ERA.

The Yankees are also in a pennant race with the Boston Red Sox. As it would turn out, J.A. Happ has very solid numbers against Boston. This season with Toronto, Happ has a 0.84 ERA in two starts against the Red Sox. In his career, Happ is 7-4 with a 2.98 ERA in 19 games (18 starts) versus Boston.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays will have a couple of pieces to potentially build around. In the trade, the Yankees will send infielder Brandon Drury and outfield prospect Billy McKinney to Toronto. McKinney was the Yankees’ number 20 prospect.

New York currently trails Boston by 5.5 games in the AL East. The Yankees and Red Sox still have ten matchups with each other remaining, including the final series of the regular season. With a new left-hander in their rotation, the Yankees now hope they’ve made a move to give them the edge going into the final stretch of the regular season.

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