Toronto Blue Jays: Which players should be on the trade market?

J.A. Happ

If there is a bright spot in the Blue Jays season, it has been the consistency of the left-hander. Every contending team will look to bolster their rotation which could create a bidding war for Happ’s services.

Nick Cafardo wrote in the Boston Globe that he expects Happ to be the most popular player on the trade market and it’s hard to disagree with him. Happ has been a reliable contributor since returning to Toronto and is 8-3 with a 3.71 ERA, 90 strikeouts, a career-high 10.4 SO9.

If he continues to perform like this expect the Blue Jays to make Happ a hot commodity on the trade market as we wrote about the New York Yankees being a top destination. Expect the Philadelphia Phillies to make a push as well as they are three games back of a Wild Card position.

Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith wrote recently on how he believes that Happ’s salary would make him a more attractive option over Cole Hamels. One comparable deal that Nicholson-Smith pointed to was the trade the Oakland Athletics made where they moved Rich Hill and Josh Reddick to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Jharel Cotton, Frankie Montas and Grant Holmes.

It is an interesting proposition to package Happ with a positional player in order to acquire a better return but even Happ on his own would be worth enough on his own to get the Blue Jays more future options.