The New York Yankees have been pursuing J.A. Happ since the offseason and have finally succeeded in acquiring the left-handed pitcher from the Toronto Blue Jays in a trade announced on Thursday.As part of the deal, the Yankees sent infielder Brandon Drury and outfielder Billy McKinney to the Blue Jays.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone expressed his excitement about adding Happ to the team based on his performance over the years and a recent conversation with the pitcher.
Boone commented, “I’m excited about this. This is a guy who’s had a really good career; he’s having a good year this year. We think in a lot of ways he can pitch a lot better than his numbers might suggest.”
Happ has recorded a 10-6 record with a 4.18 ERA in 144 innings pitched for the Blue Jays this season.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman had been actively pursuing Happ for some time, engaging in negotiations with the Blue Jays based on their performance and Happ’s pitching.
In a strategic move, Cashman made sure to secure the deal and prevent Happ from being snatched by another team in the last days of trade discussions.
Cashman mentioned, “I usually approach things as, how I feel if [Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins] wound up going in a different direction and if I wound up pivoting and continuing my journey for something I needed.”
Both Cashman and the Yankees had been actively pursuing veteran pitchers throughout the season before finally landing the deal for Happ.
