MLB: Ex-Jay Happ stays with Yankees on two-year, $34-million deal
Left-hander J.A. Happ and the New York Yankees have finalized a $34 million (U.S.), twoyear contract.
Happ gets $17 million in each of the next two seasons, and his deal includes a $17-million option for 2021 that could become guaranteed if he has either 27 or more starts as a pitcher in 2020 or 165 or more innings that year.
He is projected to be part of a rotation that includes Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and James Paxton, acquired from Seattle in a trade.
A first-time all-star, Happ was acquired from the Blue Jays on July 26 as a summer rental and went 7-0 with a 2.69 ERA in 11 starts for New York, leaving him 17-6 with a 3.65 ERA for the season. He lost lose at Boston in the AL Division Series opener, allowing five runs in two innings.
In other Yankees news, the club gave Sabathia a $500,000 performance bonus even though the 38-year-old lefthander was ejected from his final regular-season start six outs shy of the 155 innings specified in his contract for the payment.
On Monday, Sabathia’s agent told The Associated Press: “We thought it was a very nice gesture by the Yankees.”
BUCS INK LYLES: Pitcher Jordan Lyles and the Pittsburgh Pirates have finalized a $2.05 million, one-year contract.
The 28-year-old right-hander can earn additional award bonuses as part of the deal, agreed to last week and announced Monday. Lyles is 31-52 with a 5.28 ERA in 217 appearances for Houston, Colorado, San Diego and Milwaukee. RANGERS BRING BACK BUSH: The Texas Rangers are bringing back reliever Matt Bush with a minor-league contract as the right-hander recovers from elbow surgery.
Texas said Monday it has agreed to minor-league deals with Bush, pitchers Zac Curtis and Tim Dillard and infielder Chase d’Arnaud. They will report to major league spring training.
Bush isn’t expected to be ready until the second half of the season after surgery in September to repair a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
The 32-year-old made the last of his 21 appearances for Texas last season on June 14. Bush had no record with a 4.70 ERA and became a free agent when the Rangers didn’t offer a contract by the Nov. 20 deadline.
The No. 1 overall pick as an infielder out of high school by San Diego in 2004, Bush finally made it to the big leagues as a hard-throwing reliever for the Rangers in 2016. He is 10-6 with a 3.35 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 137 innings over parts of three seasons.