Yankees Rumors: Competition for J.A. Happ and Nathan Eovaldi

With two weeks until the start of the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas, reports suggest the Yankees will receive plenty of opposition for starters J.A. Happ and Nathan Eovaldi.

The Yankees already swung one blockbuster trade this offseason, sending their No. 1 prospect, Justus Sheffield to the Mariners for James Paxton. Naturally, completing a second Earth-shattering deal for Madison Bumgarner is unlikely, even if the Giants now say the 29-year-old left-handed is indeed available.

Instead, we should fully expect general manager Brian Cashman to acquire another starting pitcher via free agency. Whether or not he waits until the start of the General Managers Meetings on Dec. 9th is a whole other story.

Clubs are clearly motivated this winter, whether it’s to rebuild like the Mariners and Diamondbacks or reinforce such as the Yanks and Braves.

According to Jon Morosi of MLB.com, two highly sought after arms that the Yankees will face stiff competition for include Nathan Eovaldi and J.A. Happ.

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"Sources: #Angels active in the market for both starters and relievers and have shown interest in free agents Nathan Eovaldi and J.A. Happ, although it’s not clear if they have a strong chance to sign either of them."

Though the Angels continue to linger in mediocrity, as long as they have Mike Trout on the roster, they’re forced to at least try and field a competitive team. Although it can be argued that neither Happ or Eovaldi is anything more than a mid-rotation piece — on the Angels, both could be elevated regarding dollars, years and status.

Finishing with the seventh-best ERA in the AL in 2018 was nice, but coming off an 80-82 record (4th-place finish in the AL West), losing Shohei Ohtani to Tommy John Surgery (he’ll be a strict DH in 2019) and former ace Garrett Richards to free agency — Angels GM Billy Eppler could look to sign both Yankee targets.

Morosi reports that the 36-year-old Happ is a target for the Astros, Brewers and Phillies — while Eovaldi, who is coming off a heroic postseason is being pursued by the Red Sox, Giants and Nationals.

It’ll be interesting to see if a bidding war were to commence for any of the big name pitchers on the market, especially those the Yanks have been especially tied to, such as Patrick Corbin and Dallas Keuchel.

As much as the Yankees need one more starter and are out of the luxury tax penalty, they shouldn’t overpay for a pitcher with a questionable history — injury or statistical. They must also keep in mind how that guy might fare in the bandbox known as Yankee Stadium.