Blue Jays have just announced that they have signed free agent left handed starting pitcher JA Happ to a three-year deal worth $36 million. Details on how the $36M is split are not yet available as I'm writing this, but I'd imagine it will be back loaded to some extent.
Are you Happ-y?
Well maybe that depends on which Happ we get. I was puzzled by his performance last year. He was quite bad in Seattle (going 4-6 with a 4.64 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 4.12 FIP), which made Jays fans not feel quite as bad about the fact that we traded him for a guy that got injured at the beginning of spring training (Saunders). But after being traded to the Pirates at the trade deadline, he was actually quite awesome (going 7-2 with a 1.85 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 2.19 FIP).
It was one of those examples of an AL pitcher going to the NL and suddenly putting up numbers with the best of them. But there had to be more to it than that. Yes, the NL is easier to pitch in without the DH and overall less offense. However, that difference was too significant. Honestly, if the Jays get something in the middle of that for $12M a year, then that would be pretty good.
I never knew what to make of Happ while he was a Jay. At times in 2014 he was actually very good. Sometimes he was bad. It's probably a good deal for the Jays in terms of the value for money.
Hate to tell y'all, but this most probably means that the Jays will not be signing David Price. If you are going to be unHapp-y about this deal, that would be why.
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