Yankees Rumors: Asking price for Jays’ Happ is way too high

The Yankees are considered to be one of the front-runners to acquire Blue Jays’ starter J.A. Happ but to this point, the asking price to get him is still too high.

Even after the Yankees acquired Zach Britton on Tuesday to bolster their already great bullpen you can still expect them to trade for another starter before the July 31st trade deadline. Britton will help them shorten the game and be a huge weapon come playoff time but if the Yanks have any hopes of still winning the AL East they need some help at the back end of their rotation.

For weeks now the veteran lefty Happ has been linked to the Yankees in trade rumors but in the month of July, his stock has taken a hit. He has a 7.41 ERA and that doesn’t even include the five unearned runs he gave up to the Red Sox earlier this month when Mookie Betts hit a grand slam off of him.

Despite Happ’s struggles the Yankees and plenty of other teams are still interested in acquiring him, but the Blue Jays aren’t lowering their asking price.

According to Jon Heyman of Fancred, the Jays are trying to trade Happ before his scheduled start on Saturday and the Yankees are believed to be in a good position to get a deal done. However, he also noted in an earlier tweet that there’s still work to do between the two sides because what the Blue Jays are asking for in return is far too much.

If the Jays front office really expects the Yankees to say yes to trading Justus Sheffield or Clint Frazier for a rental like Happ they’ve lost their minds. Sheffield is the Yankees top pitching prospect and he has a chance to impact their rotation this season. In fact, he might be a better option to improve their rotation if the front office doesn’t land another starter before the deadline.

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Frazier is back on the DL with concussion symptoms but he still has a chance to be a big part of the Yankees future if they hold onto him. That being said he’s probably the top trade piece they’d be willing to move. Although they might be better off trading him in the offseason in the right deal for a starter much better than Happ.

You can’t blame the Yankees and Brian Cashman for not wanting to include either player and if that leads to a deal not getting done then so be it. Happ would be a solid addition to any team’s rotation but at this point in his career, he’s not worth elite prospects.

One player who could be in a potential deal according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post is Brandon Drury.

Drury makes more sense as a potential centerpiece in a deal for Happ because he’s a young controllable player and he doesn’t really have a role on the current Yankees roster. He’s the kind of high upside piece the Jays should be looking for.

If I’m Brian Cashman I’d be hesitant to add another mid to high-level prospect in addition to Drury but because they have so much depth throughout their system they can afford to do so.