It’s Happ-ening!
The proverbial free agency bubble has now burst. Teams are starting to sign some key free agents in mid-January. After choosing not to re-sign a few starters including Jake Odorizzi and Rich Hill, the Twins have opted for the veteran lefty, J.A. Happ.
Happ will make $8 million next year, according to Jon Heyman, pending a physical.
With the signing, Minnesota now has a rotation fairly set on paper. The likely starters will be Kenta Maeda, Jose Berrios, Michael Pineda, Randy Dobnak, and Happ.
Happ, a 38-year-old, has been serviceable in the regular season for the Yankees the last few years. His 2019-2020 combined splits include a 14-10 record, 210.2 innings pitched and a 4.57 ERA.
Unfortunately for Twins fans, Happ isn’t very well-known for his performance in the postseason. In his last 4 playoff appearances, Happ has an 0-3 record, with an 11.11 ERA. Not exactly the guy you want to lean on while looking for your first postseason victory since 2004.
Couple that with the fact that the White Sox were exceptionally good against southpaws last season, it could very well be a downer of a free agent addition. Chicago went 14-0 against left-handed starters last year and had the highest team slugging percentage against lefties in over 50 years.
After Cleveland shipped out some of their key players, opting for a rebuild, it’s evident the Twins and White Sox will be the main teams vying for the AL Central crown. While Happ is a decent signing and saves Minnesota a bit of money, hopefully it’s not the only move they make in the rotation this offseason.
(Photo credit – Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
