The Yankees roughed up Blue Jays starter J.A. Happ on Saturday, but that hasn’t killed New York’s interest in the soon-to-be free-agent lefty. The two teams “have continued conversations” regarding Happ and are “haggling over the price tag,” Buster Olney of ESPN writes. Olney goes on to suggest the Yankees should wait until closer to the July 31 non-waiver deadline to see if better starters than Happ will hit the trade block. As things stand, Happ may end up as the best starter on the move this summer, despite a 4.44 ERA in 105 1/3 innings. However, Happ comes with a strong recent track record and has posted appealing strikeout and walk numbers in 2018 (9.83 K/9, 2.91 BB/9).
Here’s the latest on a pair of other AL teams…
- The Royals have demoted right-hander Jason Hammel to the bullpen for the time being, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com was among those to tweet. Hammel had been slated to make his next start Wednesday, but Burch Smith will take his place. With the Royals in the midst of a rebuild and Hammel in the final guaranteed year of his contract, he could have emerged as a summer trade chip with a good showing in the season’s first few months. Instead, the once-competent Hammel has begun his age-35 season with a 6.16 ERA and his lowest K/9 (5.8) since 2011 over 102 1/3 innings. It’s the second disappointing campaign in a row for Hammel, who has combined for a 5.60 ERA across 280 2/3 frames since KC added him on a two-year, $16MM guarantee entering 2017. Hammel, to his credit, is taking his new role in stride, as he told Rustin Dodd of The Athletic (subscription required) and other reporters: “It’s a little slice of humble pie. But sometimes it’s necessary to reshape, reinvent, right the ship. I’ll go down and help out.”
- One of Hammel’s Royals teammates, infielder Cheslor Cuthbert, has been out for nearly two months with a lower back strain, and his return isn’t imminent. Cuthbert suffered a setback during his rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha, per Flanagan, who adds that the player “likely will be pulled off his rehab while they determine the next medical step.” That’s a discouraging development for both Cuthbert and Kansas City, the latter of which is in position to evaluate its young players. At 25, Cuthbert’s part of that group, though his production has been rather poor dating back to last season (.215/.278/.313 in 270 plate trips).
- The Rays have placed reliever Chaz Roe on the 10-day disabled list with a torn left meniscus, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Roe will undergo arthroscopic surgery Friday and should miss four to six weeks, Topkin adds on Twitter. Roe has been a key part of the Rays’ bullpen this season with a team-leading 41 appearances, during which he has posted a 3.60 ERA, 9.77 K/9, 3.34 BB/9 and a 51.2 percent groundball rate in 35 innings.
At this point Nathan Eovaldi might be a better and certainly less expensive option for the Yankees than Happ.
Don’t see it happening since the rays only have 4 starters
They are going to lose him at the end of the year anyway for nothing.
We have plenty of starters just injured Eovaldi could easily end up on another team soon. As long as snell doesnt get traded im fine as a rays fan
I would agree but I don’t even think the rays have bodies to fill the rotation
If they do that they’d have to trade for a Jason Hammel type just to fill a spot.
You can always find someone to take a spot in the rotation. The rays aren’t exactly looking to win games. There’s always depth starters floating around. If the return is enticing they could certainly do it.
Jacob Faria is coming back soon. Pretty easy transition.
Who needs starters when you have “openers”?
Eovaldi for Bird. Straight up.
Lol
Are you kidding me dude.
Yankees have to give more than Bird
He’s horrible
Lol it’s 2 months of Eovaldi. You’re not even getting bird
Don’t think the Rays want a sub replacement 1B with a checkered injury history anyway
Agreed.
For those people claiming Tampa can’t fill that starting spot, did they suddenly lose every pitcher in the minor leagues? Tampa just needs to get through the next 3 months with any arm with a pulse.
The real question is how serious would NY be to re-acquire Eovaldi? They may as well find out what it will take as he’s pulled ahead (for now) of the more expensive Happ and Cole Hamels.
How about Matt Harvey? He would be cheap, and he’s pitched much better of late in that band box stadium.
Also one pitch away from the DL
Eovaldi is injury prone.
why? because of tj? or because he had a follow up to his tj to clean up ‘loose bodies’ in his elbow? those are the only ex on the dl in the past 4 years…
why? because of tj? or because he had a follow up to his tj to clean up ‘loose bodies’ in his elbow? those are the only 2x on the dl in the past 4 years…
Sucks to see how things are going for Hammel. he was so good for the Cubs
Get Happ for October but we need to really try and trade for Blake Snell. He will have a huge price tag for sure but has 6 more years of control and is a solid lefty. Other than our own farm system there aren’t going to be any top of the rotation starters available via free agency for several years. The Yankees need to add top arms to our rotation for the long hall and Snell definitely fits the bill and as an added bonus he’s having success in the AL east.
Don’t forget he is a lefty. But I doubt the Rays will part with him especially to the Yankees unless they get blown away with an offer.
The Rays have no reason to trade Snell anytime soon unless they are completely blown away with an offer. He is controlled cheaply for 4 more years and the Rays have hopes of contending soon
With all due respect having “hopes of contending soon” and actually contending soon are not the same thing.
a team isn’t ever going to make the leap from ‘hoping to contend soon’ to ‘actually contending’ by trading their best pitcher to a division rival, are they?
If you read one of my previous post I said I didn’t think the Rays would trade him and especially not to the Yankees unless they were overwhelmed by an offer which isn’t going to happen.
We’re in agreement on that
I’m not a Rays fan but their relative success this season should indicate that they aren’t too far off from being a playoff team. They are a game over .500 in July when everyone expected them to lose 100 games this year
Forget they are a game over .500 they are 10.5 games back of the 2nd wild card spot. They aren’t close to competing against the best teams in the league and one pitcher even an “elite” one isn’t going to get them there, in my opinion.
With all due respect, you seem to not understand how running a baseball team works.
Snell is under contract for FOUR AND A HALF more seasons. The Houston Astros lost 111 games in 2013, and two years later went to the ALDS. In the Division with the Sox and Yankees it will be that much harder, but the Rays can certainly contend within the timeframe of Snell’s control, but they’ll need him to do it.
Obviously the Rays won’t be going to the playoffs this year but next year is definitely a possibility if everything falls into place
Sound like a met fan
My favorite thing is reading Yankee fan trade proposals for Snell, so I’m gonna ask: What do you think it would take for the Yankees to get Snell?
I was kind of thinking Hal Steinbrenner & the Yankees agreeing to pay whatever penalty the Rays would incur for moving out of the Trop before their lease is up.
Per pinballwizard69, Snell for cash or a stadium to be named later.
And my favorite thing is hearing the idiotic over paying proposals from Yankee haters.
Nothing that the Yankees would agree to, since the Rays have no interest in trading with them. If the Yanks call, the Rays will say any deal has to start with Torres and Andujar in the package and that will be the end of the conversation.
Where is it on record the Rays made that known?
Torres and Andujar? lol
Torres is more valuable than snell
Would you trade Severino for Acuna?
Realistically? Torres, Frazier, Sheffield, and Green probably gets it done. They get an MLB ready top prospect replacement for Snell, two all-star level position players, and an elite bullpen arm, all of which are under team control for 5+ years.
That’s not realistic though
Two all star level position players? Frazier hasn’t even played half a seasons worth of big league games. I don’t think trading Torres and Chad Green makes the Yankees any better in that scenario. That’d probably cancel out the boost of receiving snell.
Take your pills.
The question wasn’t what makes the Yankees better, but what the Yankees would have to part with to get Snell.
I wouldn’t do that deal if I’m the Yankees, but if I’m the Rays, the starting point is Torres, Frazier, and Sheffield, or maybe Andujar, Frazier and Sheffield.. Snell is 25, controlled through 2023, and currently leading the league in ERA.
When I call Frazier an All-Star I’m talking about a combination of his potential, what he has shown at AAA and his brief stints in the majors. Keep in mind that he was also on a lot of pundits top 10 prospects in all of baseball as recently as 2016 (he is no longer prospect eligible, but at least one writer for MLB believes he’d still have ranked in the top 10 before the season began).
Granted, the Yankees would never do that deal (and nor would I), but that is what it would probably take to acquire him, which is what the OP’s question was.
There’s a reason why rookie stars are rarely traded, and why the Pineda/Montero trade was such a big deal.
And Torres is controlled 7 years and is the rookie of the year. Lol
Andujar, Frazier, and Sheffield.
Solid lefty? Dude he is debatable top 5 pitcher in the league atm.
I can’t imagine a scenario where the Yankees would pay the price Snell would cost. Any package would start with Torres and add several more top 10 prospects. Another way to think about the cost for Snell is what would the Yankees expect in return for trading Severino. That’s how much a Snell trade would cost.
No one is beating the Astros
Hammel isn’t worth the roster spot. I’m all for letting young guys learn by doing, but if you’re both bad and not part of the future, time to go.
Sounds like the Yankees are going to make it “Happ” en.
Booooo
The Jays would be wise to trade Happ now and take the best the market has to offer.
The Jays brass blew it royally with waiting on Donaldson and perhaps Estrada too depending on how his injury fares. I hear Estrada’s injury is a slow healer.
I hear that the Jays have had many other offers for other players but are waiting.
Someone please put Jays fans out of our misery and fire Atkins now and hire a leader who has some courage and professional scouting excellence background.
Yes.
They are losing leverage while they wait. Eovaldi just leaped on the radar this weekend. There will be more arms if Happ and Hamels continue getting ripped. If the Giants implode over the next 3 weeks, every arm “could” be available. Same goes for St Louis if they have a rough stretch.
The Jays think they have the upper hand. They will find out the hard way if they play the waiting game.
How did you come about this information that the Blue Jays are sitting on offers? Cite your source.
Same source as the last 3 accurate years of Jays info and scouting calls.
So you’re just toiling away in MLBTR comment boards with inside information? Sounds kinda like you’re just making things up to lend credence to a baseless argument.
No, that would be incorrect. Any long term reader of MLBTR especially posts on the Jays will attest to the accuracy that the info shared could not come from some kid sitting at a computer in his Mom’s basement or her doublewide ….
One of the conditions of the information is not using name of the source. At least at this point.
A big NO THANK YOU to Happ. I don’t feel like he’d be a big enough upgrade over Domingo German, and Justus Sheffield will probably get the call soon. Unless of course the Yankees can get him for a few players who are talented but are otherwise blocked (Tyler’s Wade and Austin spring to mind).
I feel that Happ won’t be any better for the Yankees than Jaime García was.
The only way I can see the Yankees being serious about Happ is if they beg the Jays to take Sonny Gray along with whatever prospect or two they deal. Jays aren’t winning next year anyway and can use an arm to fill the rotation.
Not a bad idea. Trading Happ for Sonny Gray and prospects can probably work as Sonny Gray will eventually return to form with some work. The Jays could take his money and extra Yankee propects in return.
It could work unless Shapiro/Atkins are on a hard internally imposed budget cap at the request of the Rogers board. I think a lot changed when Beeston left. Now the Rogers board has a new President and rumor has it that he is mandating towing the company line and wants to keep Rogers focussed on its core assets and sell off the Jays. Therefore lower budgets are necessary.
It seems to be all about the money and not winning. Ugggh.
Nobody is taking sonny gray off our hands.
Where did you hear this ‘rumour’? Why are you basing entire arguments on fiction?
Jays ought to consider it. I’m sure Yankees fans would appreciate it.
SuperSinker – when you have paid attention to the Blue Jays and ownership, Rogers, you will understand what Jimmer is referring to. This should all be common knowledge to every Jays fan of the last 20+ years.
I would argue the self-imposed budget is all on Rogers. They did this with AA, and Shapiro/Atkins are all for it if it means prolonging their stay in the front office the way Ricciardi was able to.
They ran massive payrolls with AA.. You guys can’t even keep your fake arguments together.
No for a rental in Happ…..now if the Yankees think they wish to sign him longe term…maybe but no 2 for 1 for a 2 month rental in Happ.
The Royals may as well throw Hammel into the CL role, they don’t have anyone else who is close to as worthy and some contender may be piqued by the deadline. As KC is obviously in the mist of cutting their losses.
Justus Sheffield stinks
Really he stinks
The Yankees need to get Snell. Happ isn’t going to impact our rotation like verlander did for the Astros. He’s a much better option and has 6 yrs of control. There aren’t going to be any free agent pitchers that are top tier guys for several years to come and Snell would slot in nicely right behind Sevy. He would certainly have an enormous price tag but would he well worth it. Our young course of guys have a solid 5 years before they are gonna really get paid and adding a guy like Snell would be amazing. We have the prospects to give the Rays that could immediately make an impact at the major league level right away.
The Rays aren’t trading Blake Snell to the Yankees. Lol how does this have oxygen.
Yeah, it’s kind of crazy. First off, there is next to no way the Yankees would trade Miguel Andujar &/or (chortles uncontrollably) Gleyber Torres & especially in-season. Second, Snell isn’t at all expensive & shouldn’t be anything close to prohibitive in the near future. I don’t see it.