The Toronto Blue Jays have added another starter to their rotation this offseason, signing lefty J.A. Happ three-year $36 million reports the Toronto Stars Brendan Kennedy.
#BlueJays sign J.A. Happ to 3 year, $36-million deal. Happ pitched for Jays between 2012-2014 before being dealt for Mike Saunders.
— Brendan Kennedy (@BKennedyStar) November 28, 2015
It marks a return to the organization for Happ who pitched two seasons with the Blue Jays in 2012 and 2014. The Jays traded him to the Seattle Mariners last offseason in a one-for-one trade for Michael Saunders. He ultimately struggled with his new team, making 20 starts (21 appearances) with a 4-6 record, a 4.21 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Most concerning during his tenure was Happ’s strikeout numbers dropping to 6.8 K/9, after posting a 7.9 K/9 rate the season before.
Happ made a complete turnaround following a midseason trade to the Pittsburgh Pirates in a deal for prospect Adrian Sampson. In 11 starts he posted dominant numbers, going 7-, while sporting an excellent 1.85 ERA and doing a 180 with his strikeout numbers. He had a whopping 9.8 K/9 with the club, and allowed only 1.8 BB/9. It was a small sample size, but Happ pitched like an ace for the team.
The move leaves the Blue Jays rotation in a much clearer state. Happ will likely slot in towards the back-end of the rotation. He joins R.A. Dickey, Marco Estrada, Drew Hutchison, Marcus Stroman, and Aaron Sanchez as possible options among the rotation. The deal, while not huge, may have a domino effect on the Blue Jays pursuit of David Price as the team has spent big money on re-signing Estrada and bringing back Happ. Would they have enough money left over to spend big on the free agent? It’s unclear – but that’s just my own speculation.
Either way, there’s value to be had at $12 million per season even if it seems to be a tad high. Happ’s never going to win the Cy Young, but he fills a need for the club and if he can provide anything similar to what he did with Pirates, it’s a nice deal. If he returns to his Mariners form, it’s a stinker.
