As the trade deadline draws closer, Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher J.A. Happ hears his name mentioned even more frequently as a likely trade candidate. Now it seems the rumors will heat up even more in the coming days.
According to Joel Sherman of The New York Post, Toronto has started pushing even more heavily to move the 35-year-old southpaw and several of its relievers in the coming days.
The organization is reportedly trying to avoid having too many pieces to move with too little time to trade them.
Hear #Bluejays pushing harder to move Happ and relievers likeAxford/Clippard to avoid getting too close to deadline with too much inventory it wants to move.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 24, 2018
Happ will be the headliner of Toronto’s pitchers available this month. In 20 starts this season, he has a 4.18 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 130 strikeouts in 114 innings pitched.
While the ERA reflects a back-end starter, he recorded a sub-3.6 ERA in the past two seasons and has some postseason experience.
An impending free agent, it wouldn’t cost a contender a significant prospect to land the lefty starter.
For the Blue Jays, getting any solid prospect back should be considered a quality return given he’d otherwise leave for no compensation in free agency. It should only be a matter of time before he is traded.