The New York Yankees are a “main player” for the services of Toronto Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ, reports Jon Heyman of Fancred.
The Yankees have expressed heavy interest in acquiring rotation help and Happ figures to be the best available starting pitcher ahead of the July non-waiver trade deadline. The 35-year-old impending free agent has a 4.03 ERA and 3.65 FIP with 110 strikeouts across 102.2 innings.
Beyond ace Luis Severino, the Yankees rotation is rife with red flags. Right-hander Sonny Gray has looked terrible pitching at home and sports an overall 5.44 ERA, while Masahiro Tanaka is sidelined with injuries to both hamstrings and rookie Domingo German has just nine starts at the major-league level.
Interestingly, the Yankees will visit Toronto for a three-game series beginning Friday. Happ will likely take the mound for the Blue Jays on Saturday, giving New York executives an upfront look at the target.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said recently the club would like to keep prized outfielder and trade chip Clint Frazier, but also acknowledged that the cost of doing business is steep at this time of year.
“I never said he’s off the table. I’d like to keep him,” Cashman said of Frazier to New York media. “I have a lot of high-end talent that has taken a long time to acquire or cultivate. But it’s going to cost something to get stuff. We’ll play that game over the next month and see where it takes us.”
