Another potential Cubs target is off the board as the Yankees lure in Happ from the Blue Jays.
The Yankees have further bolstered their pitching staff by acquiring left-hander J. A. Happ from the Blue Jays, reports MLB.com. Toronto will receive infielder Brandon Drury and outfielder Billy McKinney for a piece of its rotation.
Happ, 35, was in the middle of his third season in Toronto, where he’s experienced a resurgence including a top-10 Cy Young Award finish and an All-Star appearance. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, the Blue Jays decided to trade him in order to recoup some long-term value.
The lefty has posted a 4.18 ERA with 130 strikeouts and 35 walks in 114 innings this season.
The Cubs were reportedly among the teams interested in Happ, the Sun-Times reported Wednesday, but this is the latest trade target to fall out of their grasp. Other than a minor deal for reliever Jesse Chavez, the club has been largely quiet so far.
Drury, 25, was acquired by the Yankees in February 2018 as part of a three-team deal with the Diamondbacks and Rays. He was a slightly below-average hitter over nearly 1,000 plate appearances in 2016-17, but his batting line dipped to.176/.263/.275 in 18 games with New York this season.
The utility man revealed in April that he was dealing with the aftereffects of suffering a concussion .
“It’s really affecting my vision. My vision has been very, very blurry,” Drury told the New York Post at the time. “It’s baseball. I need to have my eyes be right to play and help this team win games, and I just don’t think I’ve been even close to what [I need to be] physically to play this game. It’s something I got to figure out what the deal is, and attack it.
“I don’t want to play feeling like that anymore. I have to see what’s going on.”
McKinney, 23, was the No. 24 overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft but has seen his prospect status lose its shine in recent years. He’s flashed power with 13 homers in 54 games with Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, but his.294 on-base percentage leaves a lot to be desired.
