With the New York Yankees in dire need of pitching help for the 2019 campaign, securing several free agents was a necessity. GM Brian Cashman has already managed to trade for Mariners ace, James Paxton.
Now, Cashman has elected to retain J.A. Happ, the Yankees’ ace for the second-half of the 2018 season after Luis Severino struggled after the All-Star break.
Happ was brought over from the Blue Jays, who was 7-0 down the stretch, helping the Yankees secure a playoff spot. He recorded a 2.69 ERA in 63.2 inning with 63 strikeouts and 16 walks.
The Yankees were reportedly seeking the signature of star pitcher Patrick Corbin, but refused to offer him a six-year deal, which the Washington Nationals were willing to accept. $140 million and six-years later, Corbin will be pitching for the Nationals.
His slipping away put the Yankees in a peculiar situation, as they were still in dire need of starting pitchers. Bringing back Happ was a solid move, and unfortunately a forced one.
The lefty pitcher will join an improved rotation of Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, Paxton, and Happ. A solid starting group nonetheless.
Expect the Yankees to begin looking for relief pitchers and to heavily pursue Manny Machado. Ensuring they had solid pitching before going all-in on a big bat was essential.
This post was published on 2018-12-12 11:51