Happ - Y Together

Talk about last-minute shopping. Last year the Yankees made their big splash—a blockbuster trade for A’s ace Sonny Gray—with barely an hour to spare before the 4 PM ET trade deadline on July 31. If you wait until the last minute, it only takes a minute, right?

Well this year, the Yankees weren’t waiting. Two days after bolstering their pen with the addition of long-time Orioles closer Zach Britton, the Bronx Bombers added to their starting rotation by poaching veteran left-hander J.A. Happ from the division-rival Blue Jays. All it cost them was Triple-A outfielder Billy McKinney and jack-of-all-trades Brandon Drury. It was a heist.

Not to take anything away from Happ, but compared to the elaborate pyrotechnics the Yankees usually pull off at the trade deadline, this move feels strangely conservative. New York boasts a treasure trove of young talent—Justus Sheffield, Estevan Florial, Jonathan Loaisiga and Albert Abreu all rank among MLB.com’s Top 100 prospects. Clint Frazier and Miguel Andujar would also qualify as enticing trade chips. Yet instead of going for the jugular (New York’s front office has championed a “win-now” philosophy since the days of George Steinbrenner) by landing a Chris Archer or Jacob deGrom, New York settled for a light-throwing 35-year-old with an ERA north of four. The Yankees did well not to sacrifice their farm system for what figures to be a three-month rental, but is Happ really the pitcher to put New York over the top?

Happ has been, throughout his career, an above-average major league starter. His resume includes a 20-win season in 2016, an All-Star nod this year (his first), a sup-four ERA over 10 postseason appearances and, excluding a recent blow dealt by Mookie Betts, has a decent track record against the Red Sox (2.98 ERA in 19 lifetime appearances). Those are all positive traits and Happ’s familiarity with the AL East should serve him well as the Yankees close out the regular season. But Happ has never put a team on his back before and that might be what it takes to navigate a difficult American League playoff landscape featuring loaded rotations in Houston, Cleveland and to a lesser extent Boston (Chris Sale might be the best arm in baseball right now, but nobody fears David Price, not even a little).



Of course, with the way teams employ pitchers now, especially during postseason play, it might not matter. Bullpens reign supreme in October and the Yankees have one of the best. Adding Britton, a crafty sinker-baller who chews lefties up and spits them out, to a bullpen already featuring the game’s hardest thrower (Aroldis Chapman) and perennial All-Star Dellin Betances, seems almost unfair. Given New York’s insane bullpen depth (Jonathan Holder, Chad Green and David Robertson are no slouches), the Yankees can probably get by in the playoffs with their starters only lasting five or six innings. And let’s not forget the strength of New York’s star-studded offense, which is on pace for 262 homers. That would rank as the second-highest total in major league history.

To be fair, Happ may have been the best the Yankees could do without giving up a foundation piece like Andujar or Gleyber Torres. Compared to past seasons, this year’s trade market has been shockingly thin on starting pitchers. Most of the players floated around in trade talks this summer—Happ, Michael Fulmer, Nathan Eovaldi, Cole Hamels (we’ll get to him in a minute), Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler to name a handful—fit the profile of competent, mid-range starters, but none of them are true aces. The Justin Verlanders and Yu Darvishes of the world just aren’t out there this year.

Trading Drury, who was scarcely used during his time in New York, seemed like a good move at the time, but now the Yankees are probably regretting it. That’s because Aaron Judge, the Yankees’ towering right fielder, went down with a chip fracture in his right wrist after being struck by a pitch Thursday against Kansas City. Judge tried to tough it out by staying in the game and even managed a single in his next at-bat, but he eventually left for X-rays and was soon sent to the hospital for an MRI.

The diagnosis wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but the Yankees will still be without the reigning AL Rookie of the Year for at least the next three weeks. Calling up Clint Frazier to spell Judge in the outfield would be a no-brainer under normal circumstances, but he’s also on the shelf right now with a concussion. Had the Yankees held on to Drury instead of shipping him off to Canada, he probably would have seen regular at-bats. As it stands now, Giancarlo Stanton, who splits time between the outfield and DH, will likely serve as the Yankees’ every-day right-fielder.

Obviously, it didn’t hurt them against the Royals on Thursday night—New York cruised to a stress-free 7-2 win in their series opener. But losing Judge and Gary Sanchez (groin) for an extended period could spell trouble for the Bombers down the line as they try to hang with Boston in a tight AL East race. One wonders if Judge’s injury will prompt the always-active Yankees to pursue yet another trade ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.

As I alluded to earlier, Happ wasn’t the only trade domino to fall on Thursday. Though the deal is still pending an “exchange of medical information,” it appears Cole Hamels is headed to the Windy City, where he will soon be a member of the Chicago Cubs. We’ll know for sure later today, but the Rangers are reportedly getting back two pitchers including minor league right-hander Rollie Lacy, who had been pitching at High-A Myrtle Beach. The Cubs are also expected to take on about $4 million of Hamels’ remaining salary with Texas covering the rest. It’s not a big return, but at least the Rangers got something back for Hamels, who was probably a goner after this year anyway (his contract includes a club option for 2019, though Texas could have bought him out for $6 million).

This continues the rebuilding movement the Rangers set in motion last year when they traded Yu Darvish (now Hamels’ teammate in Chicago) to the Dodgers for three prospects including promising outfielder Willie Calhoun. Even after dealing Hamels to the Cubs, the Rangers aren’t done selling. They’ve been fielding offers for closer Keone Kela along with left-handed relievers Alex Claudio and Jake Diekman. History has shown that it’s better to tear it all apart than be stuck in the middle with nowhere to go, so don’t be surprised if the Rangers blow it up by moving as many pieces as possible by Tuesday at 4 PM ET.

At this stage of his career, it’s debatable whether Hamels can be a true difference-maker for a contending team. Hamels certainly has the requisite postseason experience (he won World Series MVP honors with the Phillies in 2008) and has always had success at Wrigley Field (1.76 ERA in six career starts), where he once threw a no-hitter. However, he’s also served up 23 homers this year (third-most in the majors) and has pitched to a disastrous 10.23 ERA over his last five outings. That doesn’t bode well for the left-hander, though he should benefit from a change of scenery after spending the last three seasons at Globe Life Park, one of the more hitter-friendly venues in all of baseball (as Hamels’ drastic home/road splits would attest to). And even if the move to Wrigley doesn’t rejuvenate him, the 34-year-old should still be a noticeable upgrade on maddening right-hander Tyler Chatwood, who leads the majors with 85 walks this season.

AL Quick Hits: Sonny Gray took a ball off his thumb in Thursday’s start against the Royals and went for X-rays after the game. Despite the injury, the Yankees right-hander still expects to make his next start Wednesday versus Baltimore … The Astros acquired Martin Maldonado from the Angels on Thursday in exchange for left-hander Patrick Sandoval and $250,000 in international slot money. Maldonado will help out at catcher while Brian McCann continues his recovery from arthroscopic knee surgery … According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com, the Red Sox have checked in on Angels relievers ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline. Blake Parker and Justin Anderson have both been attracting interest … Jonathan Schoop continued his torrid hot streak with another big night (2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI) Thursday against the Rays. The Orioles second baseman has now homered in four straight games. That brings his season total to 15.

NL Quick Hits: Stephen Strasburg was placed on the disabled list with a pinched nerve in his neck. An MRI on Strasburg’s shoulder came back clean, though the right-hander still plans on seeing a neurologist … Soreness prevented Daniel Murphy from starting Thursday’s game against Miami. He contributed a pinch-hit double later in the game as the Nationals cruised to a decisive 10-3 victory … The Braves are reportedly considering a trade for Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman. The former World Baseball Classic MVP has had a rough year, producing a sluggish 5.42 ERA over 13 starts … Brandon Belt was sent to the disabled list with a hyperextended left knee. He was also diagnosed with a bone bruise, which will sideline him from baseball activities for the next five days. Meanwhile Belt’s teammate Evan Longoria returned to action Thursday after missing the previous six weeks with a broken hand. He went 2-for-4 in the Giants’ loss to Milwaukee … Jake Lamb left Thursday’s game against the Cubs with a left shoulder contusion and will be evaluated on Friday. The Cubs won that game on a walk-off home run by Anthony Rizzo, who tallied his 600th career RBI in the victory … Kris Bryant landed on the DL with left shoulder inflammation and is headed for an MRI. Shoulder issues have hampered the former NL MVP for most of the past month … The Brewers bolstered their pen Thursday by acquiring Joakim Soria from Chicago in exchange for lefty Kodi Medeiros and right-hander Wilber Perez. Soria has been working as the White Sox’s closer but will occupy a setup role ahead of ninth-inning man Corey Knebel in Milwaukee … Orlando Arcia returned to the majors Thursday following a month-long stint in Triple-A. Unfortunately, the Brewers shortstop went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts against the Giants … The Brewers are showing trade interest in Reds starter Matt Harvey. The Dark Knight has fared somewhat better since arriving in Cincinnati earlier this year, though he’s coming off a miserable outing Sunday against Pittsburgh (3 2/3 IP, 8 H, 8 ER) … Mets manager Mickey Callaway expects Todd Frazier to begin a rehab assignment within a “couple of days.” He’s been nursing a strained rib cage since before the All-Star break. Meanwhile Noah Syndergaard, who was recently diagnosed with hand, foot and mouth disease, is expected to return when the Mets travel to Washington next week … Jonny Venters is going back to where it all started. The left-handed reliever will return to his old stomping grounds in Atlanta after being acquired from Tampa Bay on Thursday. The 33-year-old returned to MLB this year following a six-year absence. Venters has undergone three Tommy John surgeries through the course of his career … Reds outfielder Jesse Winker is set to undergo season-ending surgery on his injured right shoulder. The 24-year-old hit an impressive .299 with seven homers and 43 RBI over 281 at-bats this season.