The Yankees and Mariners are among the clubs interested in Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB.com. Happ figures to be one of the top rentals available on the starting pitching market this summer, if not the top rental, so it’s hardly a surprise to see a pair of contending clubs with some rotation question marks eyeing the 35-year-old southpaw. Presumably, most contending clubs have at least considered making a run.
Happ is in the final season of a three-year, $36MM contract that has proven to be a bargain for the Jays. In 423 innings since signing that deal, he’s worked to a 3.36 ERA, averaging 8.5 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and 1.1 HR/9 with slightly above-average ground-ball tendencies. Happ’s 2018 season is among his best yet, as he’s sporting a career-best 10.2 K/9 mark and a 10.4 percent swinging-strike rate. Lefties haven’t stood a chance against him (.159/.188/.246), while the efforts of right-handed opponents have been relatively futile in their own right (.217/.294/.346). Cole Hamels may have Happ topped in name value, but Happ is the better pitcher and this point and looks like one of the clear prizes of the summer trade market.
Happ is earning $13MM this season, and there’s still about $7.3MM of that sum remaining to be paid out before season’s end. That’s hardly an insignificant sum, but it’s not a backbreaking total for most contending clubs, either. And, of course, the Blue Jays could help to facilitate the trade by agreeing to pay down a portion of Happ’s remaining salary as a means of helping to extract the best possible return.
Both New York and Seattle have had some issues in their rotation, even though both clubs have received above-average results from their starting pitching. The Yankees, for instance, recently lost left-hander Jordan Montgomery to Tommy John surgery and have received inconsistent contributions from Sonny Gray and Masahiro Tanaka. Domingo German has not seized the fifth spot in the rotation in Montgomery’s absence.
The Mariners, meanwhile, have received just 9 2/3 innings from Erasmo Ramirez in 2018. Felix Hernandez has been hammered for a 5.44 ERA, and while Wade LeBlanc has been terrific in the fifth starter’s role, there are questions about the 33-year-old’s ability to sustain his current level of production.
As for the Blue Jays, despite the fact that they just completed sweeps of the Nationals and Orioles, it still seems likely that they’ll be open to selling off veteran assets this summer. Even after going 7-3 in their past 10 games, the Jays are sitting at 33-38 on the season, placing them 15 games out of first place in the American League East and a similarly daunting 12.5 games back of a Wild Card spot in the American League. Toronto also has just six games against sub-.500 teams remaining between now and the All-Star break, so their upcoming schedule doesn’t present an easy road back to contention.
I think having to overpay for intra-division trades, is a myth.
“I think having to overpay for intra-division trades, is a myth.”
That’s great, xabial, but do you have any evidence/factual basis for thinking that way? Just throwing that out there without any visible means of support is kinda pointless. And WTF is a comma doing after “trades”, no punctuation needed or appropriate there. Other than that, Happy Monday, x.
Boom
Your complaint about comma usage contains its own gross misuse of a comma. It also lacked the question mark typically used when asking a question.
“It also lacked the question mark typically used when asking a question.”
Rhetorical questions do not require a question mark. Cheers!
He put it there for dramatic effect, moron. Other than that I don’t see why a man shouldn’t be allowed to post his opinion, even if unsubstantiated.
“I don’t see why a man shouldn’t be allowed to post his opinion . . .”
He most certainly is allowed to post his opinion. What I am doing is called a “response.” Freedom to post one’s opinion does not mean freedom from criticism/abuse where appropriate.
And you’re kinda missing the point. Either xabial’s thought about intra-division trading is factually correct or it isn’t. Opinions don’t matter, this is a question of fact.
He put it there for dramatic effect, moron.”
Go eff yourself, you malodorous sack of monkey feces.
When your own comments contain perfect grammar, then you can point out someone else’s punctuation errors.
Besides, maybe he added the extra comma for dramatic effect…?? lol haha
Watch out, grammar police up there will call you out for using ellipsis and two question marks. And how dare you not use a period after “haha”. /s
Is there even any evidence that it’s true? Claims without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.
It depends on the division.
The AL East is very competitive. I don’t remember any significant trades between AL East teams.
Now, in the other Eastern division, the NL Least, trades are not uncommon at all.
Eduardo Rodriguez from the O’s to Boston for Andrew Miller.
Andrew Miller for Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield. Seems like Miller was just an extremely valuable piece.
jbigz12 they’re not in the same division.
I was not aware that the Yankees and Indians were in the same division…
Jays traded Roger Clemens to the Yankees for David Wells, Graham Lloyd and Homer Bush about a hundred years ago…
Lol I’d be happy for the Yankees to get Happ just a easy pitcher for the Astros to shell in the playoffs.
It wasn’t the pitching that lost it for the Yankees in the ALCS. It was the offense on the Road that did. Astros also hit poorly on the road at YS, which is why the home team won every game that series.
Yes but do the Yankees really think Happ is going to shut down the Astros lineup?
Probably not but the bullpen can. Plus it’s the postseason. Anything can happen in one game. Charlie Morton got shelled in Game 3 at YS but then threw like 6 shutout innings or so in Game 7.
Happ went 4 innings 6 runs vs the Astros last year. “Regular season”
Better chance of him than a current minor leaguer
Have you checked he head to head record this year so far?
Once the Yankees or anyone with a decent offense gets into that bullpen….well its “lights out and the party’s over”!!!
Astros Lifetime vs J.A. Happ
Jose Altuve 1-for-12 (.083)
Brian McCann 3-for-21 (.143)
Josh Reddick 1-for-12 (.083)
J Marisnick 1-for-11 (.091)
Carlos Correa 1-for-6 (.167)
Springer 3-for-10
Gattis 3-for-11 (.273)
ONE HR HIT. He will SHELL you. Not the other way.
foxsports.com/mlb/ja-happ-player-matchups?teamId=2…
Go check Happs last start vs the Astros
One start is proof against more than one?
How about instead of 1 game you look at his career stats?
Happ against the Stros
8 GS, 4-2, 46 innings, 3.33 ERA
But since you like using 1 game…how about 2016?
6 innings, 4 hits, 1 ER, 1 walk, 6 K’s
Dude just gave you cumulative stats and you wanna focus on ONE game? Idiot.
YoYo is a pretty good summation!
These are the smallest sample sizes imaginable
I wouldn’t read into any of those numbers good or bad. No point in extrapolating a sample that small.
You do realize Happ would be the Yankees second best pitcher right? I don’t know why you would want them to improve if you’re going to face them in the playoffs.
Jays have a great farm system as is, but they only have 1 OF in the top 15. I don’t know how the Mariners farm system is today, but it was one of the worst in baseball going into the year (Baseball America ranked them 29th)
Yankees top prospect is probably Florial who is an OFer but I don’t see them trading him for Happ. Maybe Billy McKinney (Yankees 2nd top OF prospect who coincidentally made his MLB debut in Toronto) and a pitcher?
Not a bad starting point. I can’t imagine they’d part with Clint Frazier for half a year of happ either.
Nah, I think Frazier replaces Gardner next year. Hicks thankfully has been healthy Most of the year, but he’s also injury prone. I don’t see them trading Frazier unless it was for a true ace, but there’s zero chance that the Yankees get a true ace, because the Mets will not trade Thor and deGrom to them, and unless the Giants flat out collapse, they won’t trade MadBum to anyone.
Frazier seems blocked to me. I don’t have much in the yankee knowledge department but Hicks and elsburry still exist too
Ellsbury does exist, but he definitely isn’t blocking anyone from MLB playing time.
The Jays might target Frazier or one of the better arms due to needs. That might mean them sending more than just Happ as part of a deal.
On OF their depth going forward:
MLB
#1 – Pillar – Solid defender, a little pop, contact hitter, low SO rates but low BB rates. Fans generally under appreciate him but he is a solid regular. 2 more seasons of Control
#2 – Teoscar – A great steal from the Astros, solid power, okay average with a lower OBP ceiling but has shown some improvements. Defense in left has looked okay, in RF he was downright horrible.
#3 – Gritchuk – Eveyone knows his story, streaky, can look amazing for a few weeks and then you want to break your TV watching him swing. 2 more years of control and really he probably wont be pushing anyone
Milb:
#1 – Alford – Top 50 prospect. Has not had a great milb season and some injuries. In limited MLB time he has looked good but its hard to say.
#2 – Pompey – Former top prospect but has never been able to be healthy. He got his option years burned and is more likely to find his way to a Padres or Marlins roster.
So they very well could use a Frazier type which helps them with Teoscar and Alford.
SP they have several interesting guys like Zuech, Pearson, Borucki, Pardinho, Redi-Foley but SP is likely a big area they want depth as Stroman & Sanchez only have 2 more full seasons. You hope for a hit or two in the group.
However on the IF depth they are very well positioned with: Guerrero Jr, Bichette, Biggio (his stock is way up), Lourdes Gurriel, Danny Jansen, Kevin Smith, Warmoth and potentially even Tellez who has seemed to have regained his stock the last month.
All said, the Jays have a solid farm to start the re-build process. What they now need is to further their depth and they have a half decent list of players to net a few additional pieces in the process.
Quite the good review. If I may add a few thoughts.
Pillar:Most teams/managers covet a guy like Pillar. Outstanding core player.
Hernandez has a great bat. His routes are terrible, so is his choice of throws with the cannon arm. Needs to learn defence.
Pompey: Not a prospect, fringe major leaguer at best. Release or trade.
Grichuk: Belongs in he minors. Home run or an out. Above average defense. Not a core player. Just a piece. Terrible trade for the Jays.
Alford: Bonifide high ceiling prospect. Needs two more years of seasoning in the minors. Will be better than Moseby.
Zuech, Pearson, Borucki, Pardinho, Reid-Foley As far as I see the only prospect in this group is Pearson and he is elite. I don`t see any of the other guys making it.
Guerrero Jr, Bichette, Biggio, Lourdes Gurriel, Danny Jansen, Kevin Smith, Warmoth and potentially even Tellez.. Some of these guys will make it like Bichette, Tellez, but they will be marginal. Vlad Jr and Gurriel-though many yrs away¸will flourish.
The Jays don`t have as many good players as many are syaing. They desperately need to rebuild now.
My point is they 100% need a rebuild but they luckily have started that process.
Teo in RF was brutal but I have seen a much better instinct in LF and he has made a few soild throws from there…. Randal, I really care less about him.
I think you are underselling the system as a hole. Especially on Bichette who right now is ranked #9 on MLB Pipeline and is having an excellent season at 20 in AA.
No team is going to hit on all of there prospects. Biggio might be nothing much like Tellez but they also could turn out to be average MLB players. But in fairness to Biggio he has 15 HR and a 400 obp in AA which is no small feat.
So this rebuild needs several more high upside talented players to add to the mix as well as continuing to clear the payroll for additions in the future.
What the tough call for the FO will be what to do with Pillar, Sanchez, Stroman and Osuna….. If they pick their spots they could push the future potential way up but at the same time it hurts their next few years which ownership seems to not want
True.
I would hang on to Pillar, Stroman, Hernandez, Tepara, but trade Sanchez and Osuna for sure and anyone else possible.
Are you saying vlad jr is many years away from flourishing in the majors? Like all around or production? You can put his bat in the lineup today and he will produce for them. Bichette will be more than marginal don’t sleep on him
We likely will find out how good vladdy jr is next May. With his injury they will take their time and its a good reason to buy 1 more year of control.
Most evaluators suggest he is ready to be an impact bat today. However they need a supporting cast to go along side him.
Bichette will be a major leaguer no doubt, just below average. He may play 5-10 years in the majors which is a great thing.
As far as Vlad Jr is concerned, he hasn`t seen hardly any plus curveballs along side a 98MPH heater. And his defence is still AA or less. He is not ready to rake on both sides of the ball yet. There is no question in my mind Vlad Jr will be a star, but he is 19 and needs a little time to mature.
Bichette has a 70 grade hit tool….. go search around for how many of those you can find 🙂 Outside of Vlads 80 grade which is the first if not one of the only ever given to a prospect.
Vlad would have easily seen 98 MPH heaters as AA is where teams send their most elite pitching prospects. AA can often be the last stop for the upper level pitchers.
Vlad, Jansen and Bichette, followed by a big drop off with Alford. I’d have Gurriel ahead of him at this point. I no longer believe in Alford if he can’t hack it in AAA. Same with Tellez. Warmoth is older than Urena and getting owned by single-A pitching. That’s not good.
Jury is out with pitchers.
I’d still like to see Pompey get a full season without a bad-luck-injury plaguing his development. I’m not giving up on him quite yet.
Maybe we can trade him for two years to a Japanese club with a guarantee that they return him later. Ha!
Nice sentiment but Pompey is not a prospect. He can steal bases, that’s about it. I don’t think you’ll see him do anything significant in MLB.
Agree that the Yankees dont trade Florial, or Frazier for a 35 year old rental. McKinney makes sense. But also interested in what Seattle has to offer, thier cup is really empty as far as moveable pieces.
true, but it isn’t hard for any team to come up with the prospects to trade for a 35 year old rental who is a mid-rotation starter.
It’s crazy how value is attached to some of the guys come deadline time and it Happ/Hammel are the best 2 available? I sure wouldn’t part with anything big and stick with what they currently have, which really isn’t that bad considering how deep the BP is behind them.
My thinking is if the Yanks are going to have to give up top kids, then a guy like Chris Archer had better be coming back, not old and worn out veterans like the 2 mentioned in the article. Last year the Yanks didn’t get up all that much and got Sonny Gray, a better pitcher they had control of beyond half a season.
Archer is overrated. Not worth the huge return the Rays would want. Hasn’t even had an ERA under 4 since 2015.
McKinney, Chance Adams and minor league filler for Happ
I don’t think the Yankees would have to include Adams.
Agreed… I doubt the Yankees would have to include Adams in a trade for a 2ish month rental in Happ. I could see a lesser pitching prospect being included (like someone in the 14-20 range of their top 30 where they have 5 RHP listed).
As the top rental starter, demand for Happ will raise the cost to acquire him so Mckinney, Adams and a lottery ticket sounds like its in the right range to me.
If that’s what the Jays hold out for from the Yankees, Happ will be traded to a different team. I doubt they trade Adams for a rental, that would go against everything Cashman has been doing the past 2.5ish years. Is Adams untouchable? No, he isn’t.. but he’s not gonna be traded for a rental.
Likely have to throw in someone like Wade along with McKenney.
I don’t think Mckinney is enough to get Happ at all.
I do agree with you on that.
Jays farm system is overrated. Thin pitching, thin OF and their ranking is lifted by Guerrero and Bichette. It’s not a bad farm system, just decent rather than great.
Excellent summary of their farm system.
I will add Vlad Jr is the real deal. Superstar. Bichette not so much – below average major leaguer.
Jays farm system needs pitching. I only see one elite pitching prospect[Nate Pearson] in the system, the rest are well, okay i guess. There might be a couple of 3 starters, a few 5 starters and the rest are relief potential.
I really like Alford but he needs lots more time in the minors maybe a year or two.. I like Jansens bat. Ryan Noda[P] looks good. Jordan Romano{P] is going to make it. I like Jon Harris’s arm but not as a starter. But given the Jays nonsense about trying everyone as a starter first until they fail then move them into relief, we may not see what he can do for a while. I say put Jon Harris in relief now for the back end of the bullpen.
Dwight Smith Jr is going to play in the big leagues somewhere, maybe not for the Jays. Gurriel Jr has a few years of development needed but he has a shot at being very good.
There might be one or two surprises which happens in all farm systems but this is about it for really good players that are going to make it as more than just a add-on major league piece..#Scoutseyes
Alford is 24. If he needs more time that is a problem. Warmoth struggling in single-A is a problem. Tellez hasn’t turned the corner since arriving in AAA (for those who think AA is better than AAA, Tellez is a prime example of that argument being flat-out wrong).
Vlad is a stud. No question about it. But to call this farm system great is an overstatement. If the organization play their cards right…they can be great come August 1st.
Get it done Cashman
Folks, it is pointless to speculate trade specifics.
Firstly, the Jays need to trade Happ now while his value is highest. The Atkins/Shapiro leadership should have blown up the Jays 2 years ago but drastically or intentionally misjudged this teams competative level. I am many others were calling for a rebuild after that last playoff appearance.
The Jays farm system is not great. It has very little near ready starters. None elite. If the Jays are trading they are going to acquire elite starting pitching prospects. But since when have the Jays executive got smart and accurately scouted their own starting pitching staff in the last two years? Answer: they haven’t.
This team will not compete for at least 3 years unless they acquire near ready starters.
If they trade Happ now he is good for 2 prospects and one of those a top 50. #Scoutseyes
youre not getting “elite SP prospects” for a rental SP
He said 1 prospect in the top 50. Another would be an 18 or 19 year old in low A or Rookie league. That’s what Jimmer is saying.
Yup.
Jimmer….after the Herrera deal, Happ is certainly worth a Top 50 plus another two. Special thanks to Washington for setting the precedence.
Pretty good price set for sure….
It appears to be a high priced MLB trade market coming.
Now if Atkins and Shapiro don’t screw this up……
The Jays could acquire a haul is they sell most everything and start fresh next spring training. They could acquire some great pieces….
“The Jays farm system is not great”
It was ranked 7th going into the season and they have the #1/#2 prospect in Vlad, and have 4 total in Top 100
7th by a news organization that doesn’t have a baseball clue that gets paid by publishing on websites. lol.. Irelevant ranking.#Scouteyes
BAHAAHA! You’re right. Baseball publications are clueless. All teams should consult with Jimmertee. SMH. Juggling too many baseballs in that clown suit i think…
If the Jays did consult me, they’d be a lot further ahead than they are now…
After Bichette, the drop-off is big. Alford is not a top 3 or 4 prospect in a great farm system. He’d be closer to 10th if the Jays system was “great”.
He’s in the top 60 prospects in the league on most boards, and the only reason theirs a big drop off after Bichette is because he’s so great. And Pearson is also a top 100 guy, fwiw. They definitely have a top 10 farm which will only improve after this year and might move up once the Yankees, Astros, and dodgers start making moves.
Nobody is sure how he will respond to his injury. Let’s temper that top 100 until he returns. He’s been fantastic at every level thus far but this injury is a huge mental setback besides a physical one. I’m hoping he’ll be fine, of course.
You’re not going to get “elite starting pitching prospects” for a 35yr old, 2-3 month rental though… Nobody would give that up for a pure rental.
In fairness to Shatkins they did want to blow this team up 2 years ago but ownership would not allow it. They have stated that essentially they saw a competitive but aging team with a weak close to ready MLB farm system but a strong system in the lower levels.
Fast forward 2 years and they have several very promising young prospects but lack higher end starter potential and only a few years left on their younger mlb players like Stroman, Sanchez, Pillar, Osuna (who knows what happens with him) and to some degree Travis.
So it is without question that this management might finally have a more realistic opportunity to add to their good system in an impact way this trade deadline and offseason.
YAh, I see what you are saying. No question that the Jay’s goal this year was money and not winning or planning to win a few years from now.
Let’s watch to see what happens this trade deadline. They have no shot to win anything, none, zero, even with their 7-3 in the last 10 games. If they don’t blow it up, it tells me some severe incompetence is really running the organization.
In a lot of ways their hands were tied. They have a sizable payroll in the 165M range with a most running out between the end of this year and 2019. So without a total blowup which ownership rejected they had to piece together a roster with short term deals like Granderson, Axford, Oh, Garcia, ect and take a shot at some players like Solarte, Gritch and Diaz.
For the most part most of those deals have been okay. Their biggest issue was that outside of Happ up until a week ago their SP ERA would have been north of 5 or 6, they got near zero from Donaldson and most position players.
This deadline though is what they needed, thankfully they are not even with 5 games of a Playoff spot. Its a clear sell
Yeah. I alluded to ownership not wanting to blow it up with Jimmer earlier this year. Rogers has taken some hits, and they just let go nearly 100 employees last week.
That said, a contending Jays team needed to spend $185-mil instead of $165. It was as though they wanted to prepare for the fall with a much softer pillow to land on.
I hope we trade with the Yankees, I like the mariners better, but I’m a little concerned on what’s left in their farm system
Yankees are stacked in the farm system ! Lol
“Yankees are stacked in the farm system ! ”
But the Yankees refuse to trade any high ceiling prospects.
That’s not new. They’ve never traded any prospects who became somebody in MLB. Just roster filler types.
Teams with rotation issues interested in the best option on the market!
The Yankees should of never got Stanton… they should of traded for gerit cole and waited to get Harper then they wouldn’t of been in this situation and they need to unload Ellsbury just eat that contract they should defiantly go after Hamels for that half year rental!
Getting Stanton and trading for Cole weren’t tied together. The Pirates took a lesser package from the Astros than the Yankees were offering or could offer, but the moves definitely weren’t tied together. In regards to the Stanton deal, you have to make that move 10 out of 10 times. Harper will cost more in years and $$ than Stanton does (he’s costing the Yankees $22 million a year, which will be a HUGE bargain compared to what Harper will sign for) and is the difference in production between the 2 players really worth what the difference in contracts will be? I don’t think so. And at this point, I’d rather the Yankees trade for Happ, as a rental, over Hamels. He’s a better pitcher right now and he’ll cost less $. Unfortunately they’re stuck with Ellsbury until they decide to release him, but with 2 more years after this one I don’t know when they’ll actually decide to cut their losses…
We don’t know what the actual package was that the Yanks offered for Cole. It may or may not have been more than what the Astros gave up. Looking like Cole looking more like the pitcher he was in Pittsburgh lately than the guy he was to start the season. Will be interesting how his season plays out.
I wouldn’t take Stanton over harper 1/10 times. The contracts won’t be as far off as you think. Harper is the superior player but you wouldn’t have had him in 2018.
Considering what Cashman traded for Stanton, I’d take that trade 10/10 times
The financial drag sooner then later is gonna be very dramatic. The one thing this team didn’t need was Stanton’s bat, they needed a high quality starter. Whatever Harpers difference in salary will be there’s at least 3 good reasons he’s the better choice, age, overall player, and wouldn’t wilt under the bright lights.
Spot on jbigz12, so spot on.
If Harper gets $400 million due to youth, thats nearly double, Yanks are paying Stanton ($22M cap hit) Last I checked, Harper leads NL: HR(19) BB(51) but .217 BA is lower than Stanton’s .243.
I never wanted Stanton either. Be honest wouldn’t you rather of had Cole and saved that money for Machado?
Trading for Cole and trading for Stanton weren’t tied together though. The Yankees could’ve afforded both of them and still stayed under the luxury tax. You make the trade for Stanton every time. If Harper signs for 10 years and $350 million (conservative estimate based on what people around MLB are thinking) that’s an aav of $35 million/year. I take Stanton at $22 million/year over Harper at $35 million/year. The difference in production isn’t great enough to really justify the extra money, and there’s only a 3 year age difference. If they want Machado, they can afford him as well… but unless they trade Andujar (which if he helps brings back a #2+ started I’d do) I don’t see them spending on him.
Today, Stanton went 4-for-5 and has .254 BA, 16 HR, 39 RBI, 43 R in 268 AB
Harper was 0-for-4, and has .211 BA, 43 RBI, 41 R, 19 HR, in 247 AB.
.349 OBP for Harper, .329 for Stanton.
Harper will likely heat up, and get $400M. Stanton’s $22M annual cap hit, never changes.
Stanton turns 29 this year. Harper turns 26. Know you’d rather have Harper because he’s younger but that age difference up to $200M price difference.
To achieve that $22M annual cap-hit with Harper — If he gets anywhere close to $400M
Now let’s go look at Machado’s and Cole’s stats, why don’t we. Cole- 100.2 IP 2.59 ERA 138 SO. 30 Walks 0.894 Whip
Machado- .310BA 18HR 53RBI .377OBP 44SO excellent defense at a prime position.
Don’t be a homer, this is who they should have, just because the Yankees have Stanton doesn’t mean it wasn’t a mistake.
Acquiring Stanton had NO impact on trading for Cole though. Again, the 2 moves weren’t tied together at all. If the Yankees want Machado after this year, they can afford him easily. Unless they trade Andujar, I don’t see them making a run at Machado. Again though, the Stanton acquisition has nothing to do with whether they go after Machado or not. They have $40+ million coming off their payroll at the end of this year, they have $..
I never said the Stanton trade had anything to do with Cole, just he was not needed and costs too much both now and especially in the future, no matter how minimal the cost in prospects. Homers try to justify anyway they can. Machado is better and younger.
How much do the Yankees really want him? They will have to overpay for Toronto to trade within the division but Seattle’s farm is so weak that the Yank’s can easily top any made offer the M’s make.
That is probably why I see Happ being held for another few weeks to see how things shake out with other teams and their rotation. Atlanta would be in the mix if they hold first place a month from now. Anthopoulos loves Happ. Milwaukee could be another team in the mix. That would all come to an end if the Yankees make an offer the Jays can’t refuse. We’ll see.
Paxton, Gonzales, Happ, and LeBlanc would give the Mariners four good lefties for the rotation. The weaker links would be the righthanders, Leake and Hernandez. Happ would be good to have on board.
I am not sure I’d want to see the Mariners lose OF prospect Kyle Lewis, he is ranked as their minor league system’s best in what amounts to a pretty bare cupboard… but that’s probably where talks would start with Toronto for Happ.
I don’t think it matters if it’s a righty, or a lefty, but they need a number 2 behind Paxton. Also, Leake is not a weak link considering his sub 2.50 ERA in his last 7 starts.
Man how times change when King Felix is considered the weak link…
Yankees need more of a stud pitcher then Happ if they want to win the World Series. Case closed
No matter who the Jays trade Happ to, does he resign with them after the season? it was said that he went to the Jays 3 years ago not because of the money but because that is where he and his family wanted to be. We shall see in about 5 to 6 months.
It’s possible, not probable.
Well if he and and his family really love Toronto, he may well take a lesser monetary amount to go back there.
Given how well he is pitching I’m sure he’ll take more than $13-mil per year.
Not sure what Happ is thinking. If a World Series contender makes an nice offer next year he should take it and win a ring while he still can.
Not all players are the same. There are some that do not value a ring nearly as much as others. We will see what Happ values in about 6 months.. I just envy that he is in a position to make such a choice.
Since the angels are falling out of contention, the yankees should look at Garrett Richards, I know he’s hurt right now but he has the stuff to be a frontline guy and has gotten better as the year has gone on
Hard to picture that one. With the Angels GM coming from NY he might not want to do business with the Yankees right now. If he trades away someone like Richards to his former team and they win the WS it would look like he did it just to help the Yankees. Add on top of that of the prospects the Angels don’t pan out it would look really bad.
Neither Happ nor Hamels would have as much of an impact as Tanaka coming back healthy and effective, German cutting down on walks and letting his “stuff” get batters out, Loaisiga being the real deal or Gray returning to his former self. The Yanks only need two out of the four scenarios to happen and they will be just fine without making a trade. I think the only one that is unlikely to happen is Gray. That guy is not meant to wear the pinstripes.
None of that is remotely true or possible.
Happ has actually been a really good pitcher since 2015, when he went to Pit he got fixed. Since 2015 he is 20th in MLB in WAR, has excellent SO rates, limites the walks/hits.. He is one of the more underrated guys the last 3-4 years. His contract has been a huge bargain.
So whoever gets him will be surprised at the quality of a starter he actually is.. He doesn’t have the big name recognition but having watching him pre Pit and post Pit as a Blue Jay over 6 seasons he is the real deal. In his first go around he nibbled, wasted tons of pitches and was likely going 5 innings with 3ER. Now he attacks, trusts his stuff and continues to master his own pitch mix. He is very calm, shows little emotion and just goes out and works every 5th day.
Yeah looking at the pre Pittsburgh Happ, not a thing gave a glimmer of what he would become the last few years. Pittsburgh made a decent offer but have read where when he got the Toronto offer he took it because of how much he liked it the last time he was there. I would not be surprised the same thing does not happen if the Jays want to resign him.
And if he likes it in Tor, they likely need him next year, so no reason to not send him away for a fun playoff run and bring him back next year.
Is Happ better than Tanaka or Gray or German?
As it stands now he’s better than all. Maybe if Tanaka can start pitching like he has in the past you’d slot Happ in as the 3. Happ’s easily better than the other two though.
Not Tanaka (not unless you’re obsessed with small sample sizes), but he’s obviously better than the other two. German is not a post season pitcher for the Yanks, period. He has no control.
Hi I have 3 team trade for you all Braves, blues jays , Yankees
Yankees get
A.j happ
Luke Jackson
Miguel socolvich
Braves get
Josh Donaldson
Reese McGuire
Tyler clippard
Clint Frazier
Blues get
Brandon drury
Justus Sheffield
Dillon Tate
Bryce Wilson
Patrick Weigel
Ricardo Sanchez
lmao WHAT
Blue Jays would say yes in a heartbeat.
Good for fantazing but not going to happen. Pointless making suggestions like this.
Huh no.
Not enough players involved. See if you can dig up the names of 18 more guys in the low minors to toss in there somewhere.
Mariners best move would be to bring back Happ and move Felix to long relief.
If the Yankees don’t have to overpay much then I’d be fine with it. However I think they can’t get a better pitcher. Happ doesn’t have that feel of big playoff pitcher, but who knows
Jays will be looking for at least two top prospects. Otherwise it makes no business sense to trade Happ as he will reject an arbitration offer at the end of the year so they know even if they kept Happ that they will end up with a top 35 level prospect as compensation. They will use this as leverage to get at least Frazier and perhaps even Sheffield. Both were drafted by Shapiro when he was with Cleveland Indians. Yankees are close to the luxury tax and they won’t want to trade for Hamels who costs significantly more. Demand is also greater than supply as the list of lefty candidates crumbles after Happ and Hamels. The leverage is heavily siding with the Jays on this one, even if Happ is only a half season rental. Excited to see what transpires.
You mean a contract offer? Happ is well beyond arbitration.
Qualifying offer*** You are correct sir!
All good. It happens. Happ is pitching toward a QO if the Jays can’t deal him.
So he’s going to the Mariners then, huh? No way Shapiro & Cherington trade him to NYY. Nope
I always wonder why people say this. If anything it’s the team trading *for* the rental player who’d be more reticent to make a deal within the division. Happ might get the Yankees some playoff wins, but the guys they have to give up to get him would be around for *years*.
Bring Happ back to the Phillies.