Yankees: Ranking their top five moves of the offseason thus far

After the Yankees missed out on signing top free agent starter Patrick Corbin earlier this offseason the front office and GM Brian Cashman wisely shifted focus to re-signing J.A. Happ. Following the acquisition of James Paxton (who I’ll get to later) the Yanks still needed to add another front line starter to round out their rotation so trying to bring back Happ made a ton of sense.

Last season after he was acquired by the Yankees prior to the trade deadline Happ was outstanding, going 7-0 with a 2.69 ERA in 11 starts. He gave them everything they could have hoped for and more down the stretch to help them secure home field in the AL Wild Card Game.

Unfortunately, in the postseason, Happ struggled during Game 1 of the ALDS against the Red Sox allowing 5 earned runs in just two innings. However, despite how his season ended Happ proved that he can handle pitching in New York and that at age 36 he still has multiple years of production left in him. Happ reportedly was looking for a three-year deal from clubs during free agency and even had a few offers on the table before he ended up signing back with the Yanks for a two-year deal with a vesting option for a third.

At this point in his career, Happ clearly wants to win and knows that this Yankee team is going to be in a position to contend for a championship for at least the next two seasons. He was smart to accept the Yankees offer and bet on himself because all he has to do is make 27 starts or throw at least 165 innings which were two totals he surpassed in 2018.

Happ might not be an ace or a number two starter for this Yankee staff but he’s a very solid three or four and he’ll provide some much-needed durability and stability. He’s going to put up quality starts and keep the team in the game every time he takes the mound which should go a long way in helping the Yanks accomplish their first goal of winning the division.