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New York Yankees: J.A. Happ is the right choice to fix pitching need ahead of pennant race

By Alex Jordan

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 17: J.A. Happ #33 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches in the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 17, 2016 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 17: J.A. Happ #33 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches in the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 17, 2016 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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The New York Yankees acquired J.A. Happ in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Happ trade is the right move for the Yankees who need help with pitching.

As the MLB trade deadline gets closer, the question for the New York Yankees was would they get a starting pitcher, which they need, after getting Baltimore Orioles closer Zach Britton?

The answer, as it turns out, is yes. On Thursday afternoon, the Yanks acquired left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday.

The Blue Jays get infielder Brandon Drury and Triple-A outfielder Billy McKinney, the Yankees number 20 prospect according to MLB Pipeline in the trade. Yankees manager Aaron Boone is very excited about getting Happ.

Boone went on to tell Coley Harvey of ESPN:

"“I’m really excited about this, this is a guy who’s obviously had a really good career, he’s having a good year this year. We think in a lot of ways he can pitch a lot better than his numbers might suggest.”"

This season, Happ is 10-6 with a 4.18 ERA in 20 starts. However, he has been struggling lately as he is 0-3 with a 7.41 ERA in four starts this month.

Boone told NorthJersey.com that the Yankees think that Happ will give them quality starts and solidfy their rotation and get them to where they want to be.

It’s no secret that the Yankees need a starting pitcher since their rotation behind Luis Severino hasn’t been great. Happ is the perfect choice to fix the Yankees pitching needs.

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The Yankees are 5.5 behind their rivals the Boston Red Sox in the AL East. However, Happ is great against Boston!

In 19 games against the Red Sox, Happ is 7-4 with a 2.98 ERA. Over the last three years he is 4-1 with a 1.84 ERA. The Yankees have ten more games against the Red Sox and Happ will help the Yankees take the lead in the AL East over the Red Sox.

It has been said that the Yankees won’t make it to the World Series if they don’t get a starting pitcher, well, here you go.

The Yankees wanted a starting pitcher that can perform down the stretch and they got that in Happ. In 46 starts in September and October, Happ is 20-12 with 3.12 ERA.

Another reason why Happ is the perfect choice for the Yankees is his postseason experience. The former Blue Jay was on the Philadelphia Phillies 2008 World Championship team.

In addition to that, he made two starts in the playoffs for the Blue Jays in 2016 going 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA. He can help the Yankees win another title.

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The Yankees now have the pitching help they need with the addition of Happ. Now they are a big threat to win a World Series title this year.

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