Multiple sources have confirmed that veteran left-hander J.A. Happ is heading to the new york yankees. The Blue Jays will get Brandon Drury and Billy McKinney from New York. The news was reported by MLB Network's Jon Heyman, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, and the Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. Happ had been linked to the Yankees in rumors and discussions for a while as they looked to add a veteran pitcher.

J.A. Happ's role in New York

Happ (35) is a 12-year veteran in the Majors and has made 248 starts in his career.

This season with Toronto he put up a 4.18 ERA, 1.175 WHIP, 3.84 FIP and struck out 130 batters in 114.0 innings. While he has struggled in his last few starts, overall he has been solid. Since 2016 he has a 3.55 ERA and 1.2 WHIP in 454.1 innings. He sports a 3.95 ERA in his entire career.

Happ is not a guy who is expected to be on top of the rotation for the Yankees. He will be towards the bottom of the rotation as a four or five starter that provides some depth in the rotation. CC Sabathia is the only current Yankees starter that has more games started in the majors than Happ. He will not blow batters away, but he can gobble up some innings. If he gives New York solid starts down the stretch that keeps the team in ballgames, that is all the Yankees can ask for.

Return for Blue Jays

Toronto is getting two young players in return for Happ. Brandon Drury (25) and Billy McKinney (23) both can play outfield with Drury being a utility guy. Drury has 307 MLB games under his belt with the Yankees and Diamondbacks. He is a career .267/.316/.439 hitter with 32 home runs and 131 RBI. He only played in 18 games as a Yankee, but he is still young and could be a nice piece for the Blue Jays going forward.

McKinney, despite being only 23, has bounced around organizations. He was a first-round draft pick by the Oakland Athletics in 2013 and will be entering his fourth organization since being drafted. His two MLB games, this season, were the only MLB games he has played in during his professional career. He is a .272/.350/.429 career hitter in the minors.

This is not a bad return for the Blue Jays. Considering Happ is 35 and a rental, getting two young pieces could pay off very well for Toronto. Drury has already shown to have the tools to play in the majors and has room to grow. McKinney is more of a question mark, but he is worth the risk considering Happ is on the last year of his deal and aging. It was best for them to get something for him, than nothing at all. It looks like a good trade for both sides.
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