J.A. Happ appears headed to Minnesota.
The free agent left-hander and Minnesota Twins are in agreement on a one-year deal, pending physical, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Per RADIO.COM Sports MLB Insider Jon Heyman, the deal is for $8 million.
Happ, 38, spent the last two-and-a-half seasons in New York with the Yankees, which ended on a sour note as his usage during the 2020 season became a point of contention between the starter and the team.
The left-hander was unhappy his turn in the rotation was skipped a few times, which was affecting his vesting option. His season culminated when the Yankees used him as a long reliever in Game 2 of the ALDS, opting to use Deivi Garcia as an opener.
The strategy drew immense criticism – arguably costing the Yankees the series -- and the left-hander, while on board with the plan, admitted he preferred to have started the game.
Happ still posted respectable numbers in 2020 – posting a 3.47 ERA across nine starts and striking out 42 batters in 49.1 innings – and should serve as a reliable veteran arm for the backend of the Twins’ rotation.
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