The Toronto Blue Jays are reportedly interested in a reunion with starting pitcher J.A. Happ.
In what should not come as surprising news, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi recently reported that the Toronto Blue Jays are interested in bringing back starting pitcher J.A. Happ, making it his third stint with the Blue Jays, should the two sides come to an agreement.
Happ has been one of the hottest names on the market right now in these very early days of the offseason, which also should not come as a surprise with a thin starting pitching market and many teams desperately looking for cost-effective, veteran rotation options.
Other than the Toronto Blue Jays, the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels have also been connected to the veteran arm.
Sources: #BlueJays interested in free agent LHP J.A. Happ, who had two prior tenures with the club: 2012-2014 and 2016-2018. Happ, 38, ranked fourth in ERA+ this year among free-agent pitchers who threw at least 40 IP. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 22, 2020
Expected to be one of the more aggressive teams this winter, the Toronto Blue Jays pounced on the free agent market early by bringing back Robbie Ray on a one-year/$8 million deal, beefing up their starting rotation with a familiar face.
The Blue Jays have their ace in Hyun Jin Ryu, an up and coming star in Nate Pearson, and a backend starter in Ray who showed notable improvements in Toronto after coming over from Arizona at the 2020 trade deadline.
A collection of names including Tanner Roark and Ross Stripling could fill out the rest of the rotation, but the Toronto Blue Jays appear ready to strike in the American League East and they have a roster close to being ready to make some serious noise. Adding a starter who can slot in behind Ryu as the number two arm in the rotation and another reliable backend arm is necessary if Toronto wants to take the next step.
J.A. Happ isn’t the high-priced free agent who the Blue Jays can stick behind Ryu, but he is a solid choice to solidify the backend of the rotation while the organization attempts to sway a Trevor Bauer or Masahiro Tanaka, or pull off a trade for a Lance Lynn type starter.
Happ, 38, made nine starts for the Yankees in 2020, going 2-2 with a 3.47 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. He may not have the overpowering velocity or swing and miss stuff, but Happ is still effective at limiting hard contact and keeping runners off the basepaths.
As a secondary option, J.A. Happ isn’t a terrible choice. MLBTradeRumors.com projects a one-year deal at $6 million for Happ this offseason, a price the Blue Jays will feel very comfortable paying up. His experience in the AL East and navigating the hitter-friendly parks that dominate the division is also a plus.
In his six previous seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, Happ went 59-41 with a 3.88 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 691 strikeouts across 745.1 innings. As recently as 2018, Happ went 10-6 with a 4.18 ERA and an All-Star appearance with the Blue Jays.