Shortly after hearing that the price tag on lefty J.A. Happ had fallen, and right after fellow quality rental starter Nathan Eovaldi was traded, it sounds like Happ is the next domino to fall:
Source tells me the Blue Jays appear close to moving J.A. Happ.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 25, 2018
The Cubs are in need of more starting pitching, and have reportedly had interest in Happ in the past. So it’s plausible they’re in this thing. Then again, lots of teams want pitching right now, and perhaps several of them just missed out on Eovaldi.
Stay tuned.
UPDATE: It sounds like, as expected, the Yankees are involved (the dang AL East is gobbling up all the players), as are the Brewers, who just recently lost Brent Suter to a torn ACL and got some bad news on Zach Davies’ rehab, too. Both teams make plenty of sense.
Source says Yankees are "heavy in the mix" for Happ, though no deal is done. Brewers – who lost Brent Suter to a torn UCL – could still be in play among others. Sounds like Blue Jays could be assessing offers, though it remains to be seen if those offers are final or not.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 25, 2018
But they’re not the only ones, per Gordon Wittenmyer:
As rumors of pending Jays trade of J.A. Happ heat up, multiple sources confirm Cubs one of many teams in mix.
— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) July 25, 2018
The Cubs are very nice fit for Happ, so as we said before, stay tuned …
UPDATE 2: Is this related:
So, as all kinds of trade rumors float around #Brewers, OF Domingo Santana comes out of game early at Class AAA Colorado Springs. We will see if that means anything.
— Tom (@Haudricourt) July 25, 2018
UPDATE 3: NOPE!
Despite being pulled from Triple-A game, #Brewers OF Domingo Santana has NOT been traded, source tells The Athletic.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) July 25, 2018
I’m having fun. Are you having fun?
UPDATE 4: Wow, if this is where the Jays started their asks, no wonder they had to drop their price:
Jays originally sought Clint Frazier or Justus Sheffield for Happ. That was when yanks saw happ price as too high. Can’t see nyy doing that for rental, and they’ve offered others. Still talking. Brewers also interested. M’s, too. Maybe cubs, others.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 25, 2018
UPDATE 5: Patrick Mooney’s latest suggests (among other things) that Happ is not near the top of the Cubs’ wish list, which, if true, would obviously make it much less likely that they’re about to land him.
UPDATE 6: Does Steve Phillips break news now? If so, it’s the Yankees:
Sources indicate that #Jays focusing on finalizing deal with #Yankees for JA Happ.
— Steve Phillips (@StevePhillipsGM) July 26, 2018