Just like that, another free agent starting pitching option is off the board. As announced by the team on Monday, veteran left-hander J.A. Happ has reached an agreement with the New York Yankees to return to the Bronx on a two year, $34 million deal.
Earlier this week, Happ was said to have multiple two year deals from numerous teams, but was not willing to sign until offered a third year. This deal with the Yankees is for two years with a $17M 2021 option based on games started or IP threshold in 2020.
Lefty J.A. Happ Signs Three-Year Deal With Yankees
A Look at Happ’s Career
Happ has been a reliable starter over his twelve-year big league career. He spent his first four seasons in Philly, where he took the league by storm. In 2009, he went 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA and 119 strikeouts and finished second in NL Rookie of the year voting.
In 2010, he was shipped to Houston where he spent three seasons. Over 59 starts as he Astro, he went 18-28 with a 4.84 ERA and 293 strikeouts in 332 innings. He was then traded to the Blue Jays in 2012 and his first stint in Toronto lasted three years.
Happ then spent the 2015 season with the Pirates and the Mariners. In a combined 172 innings, he went 11-8 with a 3.61 ERA, 151 strikeouts, and just 45 walks.
He’s spent the past three seasons with the Yankees and Blue Jays, Happ posted a 47-21 record and a 3.44 ERA. After being acquired at the deadline, Happ went 7-0 with a 2.69 ERA as a Yankee.
What Happ Brings to the Table
A return to the Bronx will be good for both the Yankees and Happ. He will join Luis Severino, the recently acquired James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, and CC Sabathia in the Yankees rotation. As pointed out before, Happ also had tremendous success in pinstripes. He isn’t the ace Yankees fans were hoping for, but Happ is a consistent and durable veteran. He is certainly a starter that will keep the Yankees in the game, and will give them a chance to win every five days.
Main Photo:
