The New York Yankees have reportedly agreed to a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays sending JA Happ to the Yankees. Ken Rosenthal and Jon Heyman reported that a deal for Happ was in place, and eventually reported that the Blue Jays will receive Infielder Brandon Drury and Outfielder Billy McKinney.
#Yankees getting J.A. Happ for Drury and Billy McKinney, per @Feinsand and @JonHeyman. Drury alone would be quite a score for #BlueJays. He is 25 with three more years of control, albeit with nowhere to play in NY. Happ is 35 and a rental.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 26, 2018
Happ has been good for the Blue Jays this year, he is 10-6 with an ERA of 4.18. Also during 2018, Happ has a WHIP of 1.17 and has struck out 130 batters through 114 innings. Happ is 35 years old and obviously, on the downturn of his career but to the Yankees, he is the piece that helps them build a rotation to make a run at the playoffs. This move comes days after the Yankees acquired reliever Zach Britton to strengthen their bullpen.
The Blue Jays return of Brandon Drury and Billy McKinney could turn out to be very advantageous for them. Drury is only 23 and under contract for three years which will allow them to develop Drury and let him play. Drury has spent time in Double-A, Triple-A, and the majors in 2018. With the big league club he has only had 51 at-bats and is hitting .176, however in his minor league tenure this year he is hitting .294 for the Triple-A squad. McKinney is 23 years old and has spent the majority of the 2018 season with the Triple-A squad. McKinney is batting .230 with 23 home runs and 32 RBI’s in 2018.
