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J.A. SAYS IT’S ‘PRETTY CLEAR’ YANKEES NOT USING HIM TO AVOID PAYING $17M OPTION
While the Yankees remain in a battle with the Rays for first place in the AL East, another issue continues to linger with one of their own players, as J.A. Happ expressed disappointment about how he’s been used this season.
And the 37-year-old said Tuesday “it’s pretty clear” what’s going on between him and the team.
Happ has a $17 million vesting option for next season that would have kicked in if he made either 27 starts or pitched 165 innings. In this abbreviated season, that prorates to 10 starts or 61 ¹/3 innings. The left-hander has pitched just 12 2/3 innings in three starts this season.
It’s against MLB rules to purposefully manipulate usage to keep a player from vesting an option.
On Tuesday, Happ said of his next start that it was his “understanding it won’t be until Saturday,” the Yankees’ fourth game back after their series at Citi Field was postponed due to two COVID cases involving the Mets.
Asked if he thought the lack of activity might be related to the vesting option, Happ said, “You guys
[in the media] are pretty smart. It doesn’t take too much to figure out, sort of, what could be going on.”
The Yankees could make the argument that starting Gerrit Cole and Masahiro Tanaka on Wednesday, and Jordan Montgomery on Friday following Thursday’s off day, gives them the best chance of winning. Aaron Boone later announced that Happ would indeed start Saturday, with Montgomery starting one of the games of Friday’s doubleheader against the Mets.
His explanation of the way the rotation set up was simple. “After a [five]-day break, we reshuffled to prioritize getting Gerrit going and [Tanaka] after him, then the off day and then [Montgomery] and J.A.,’’ Boone said before the Yankees and Braves were rained out on Tuesday. “There’s a chance we even pitch Gerrit and [Tanaka] on the sixth day out of this. … With only four starters right now you’re gonna need to make up those slots.” And with the Yankees having two doubleheaders in three days against the Mets, they could go with an opener in one game. Boone also indicated they may turn to Deivi Garcia or Clarke Schmidt to make their MLB debut. Both are at the alternate site in Scranton. Unlike Garcia, Schmidt is not on the 40-man roster and the Yankees would need to designate a player for assignment to bring him up. “They’re guys we’ll definitely start having conversations about [and] will potentially come into play in some way, shape or form over the weekend,’’ the manager said. Still, Happ wondered if there was more to it. He’s made just three starts this season.
“I know I’m healthy and have been healthy and ready to pitch since what would have been [the beginning of] the regular season and since summer camp and the start of the abbreviated season,’’ Happ said. “I’ve been ready to go in all those cases with no issues.”
He had his best performance of the season in his previous outing, when he limited the Red Sox to one run in 5 2/3 innings on Aug. 16. Even then, he was pulled after 75 pitches.
“I feel really good about how the last one went and
I was anxious to get out for the next one,’’ Happ said. “I’m certainly disappointed it will take some time to get to the next one. I’m trying to do everything I can to stay ready.”
When asked if the situation presented a distraction for him, Happ said, “It’s hard to quantify an answer for that. It weighs on me to some extent, but when I come in here I try to continue be a good teammate and prepare to be ready and be professional and that stuff. But when I’m away [from the park], it certainly can creep in and has taken a lot of thought. … At this point, I need to leave that on the back burner and let that play out how it might.”
The trade deadline is Monday, and when asked if he wanted to remain with the Yankees, Happ replied, “I love my teammates in that room and want to go out there and compete with them. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. I want to be out there with them.”
At this point, it doesn’t look like he’ll be out there enough to see that $17 million option kick in.