Yankees: Would re-signing J.A. Happ really be a ‘blessing’ in disguise?

Current analyst and former Colorado Rockies general manager, Dan O’Dowd is quoted as saying that he believes the Yankees are better off reuniting with J.A. Happ, rather than they would have if they spent big on Patrick Corbin.

As the Winter Meetings get underway in just two days, the Yankees are still in search of a No. 4 starter. With C.C. Sabathia coming back for one more year as the team’s fifth option, who completes the puzzle?

While manager Aaron Boone could always use promising young right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga towards the back end of the rotation, it’s common knowledge that the Yanks fully intended to acquire two starters this winter.

And having already traded for Mariners ace, James Paxton, the Yanks are being choosy when it comes to who they want to round out the starting five.

With Patrick Corbin, Nathan Eovaldi and Carlos Carrasco all off the board in recent days, there are still more than a few options for general manager Brian Cashman to consider.

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Free agents such as Dallas Keuchel, Charlie Morton and Yusei Kikuchi are still without teams; however, it’s another blockbuster trade that could sway the Yanks’ chances of winning the AL East in their favor.

The flavor of the day appears to be coming from Cleveland, as fans of the Evil Empire debate whether recent All-Star, Trevor Bauer (12-6, 2.21 ERA, 1.089 WHIP and 221 K’s in 175.1 IP) is more worthy of a prospect-laden deal as opposed to two-time Cy Young winner, Corey Kluber (20-7, 2.89, 0.991 WHIP and 222 K’s in 215 IP).

However, according to former Rockies GM and current MLB Network analyst, Dan O’Dowd, he believes reuniting with 36-year-old J.A. Happ is what’s best for the Bombers. Per the NY Post:

"If you match up [J.A.] Happ’s quantitative numbers against Corbin’s, separate from the age, a pivot move to Happ could be a blessing for them in the long run. It won’t take six years or even four years to sign him probably. The Yankees can go in a variety of ways. They’ve got prospects to trade and pitching on the market and Happ was fantastic for them since the acquisition."

If Yankee fans can get the poor taste of Happ’s final performance in pinstripes out of their mouths (two innings of four-hit, five-run ball against the Red Sox in Game 1 of the ALDS), it’s clear to see that Happ was a vital key in the cog after coming over from Toronto in late July.

Though Happ’s asking price will likely rise following Corbin’s massive six-year, $140 million deal — if the Yanks can get Happ for two years with a club option for a third at $15-17M per season, then his return to the Bronx should be wrapped up quickly.

Of course, New York’s newfound financial restraint could be a hindrance if a club like the Phillies offers Happ a guaranteed contract for three years.