Toronto Blue Jays: Phillies enter the chase for J.A. Happ

NBC Sports’ Jim Salisbury is reporting that the Philadelphia Phillies have “definite interest” in Toronto Blue Jays’ pitcher J.A. Happ.

It’s already been an intriguing season for J.A. Happ. The Toronto Blue Jays‘ pitcher had his first career opening day start and has been named to his inaugural All-Star Game.

Now, to top it all off, Happ could well be headed back to where his Major League career started. As reported by Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports, the Philadelphia Phillies have definite interest in the southpaw.

Happ was originally drafted by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2004 draft. He went on to make to 31 starts for the Phillies between 2007-10, recording a 14-5 record and a 3.11 ERA.

It is no surprise if the Phillies are indeed interested in the 2018 All-Star. He’s a hot commodity at the moment, with a whole host of teams reportedly competing for his services.

The main factor which will impact any pursuit by Philadelphia, is their interest in other options. Salisbury notes that Happ is third on their list of preferred targets, behind Manny Machado and Zach Britton.

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For many, there is arguably still surprise that Happ is viewed as one of the top trade options for competing teams wanting to add a productive arm to their rotation. However, the statistics do not lie.

Just two years removed from finishing sixth in the Cy Young voting, the 35-year-old is on course for a career-high in strikeouts per nine innings. He is also set to finish with the second-best WHIP and second-most wins of his Major League career.

Happ is in the final season of a three-year deal he signed with the Blue Jays in Nov. 2015. He is set to become a free agent after the 2018 campaign, hence why the team would like to get some value for him now.

There has been a notable decline by the Peru, Illinois native in his recent starts. He has lost three straight games and seen his ERA shoot up from 3.48 to 4.29 during the last month.

Ultimately though, Happ is still headed out of Toronto. It’s now more a question of when, rather than if he is traded by the Blue Jays.

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What’s your position on all the Happ speculation? When it’s all said and done, which team will he be traded to and why? Or do you still hold out some hope he will remain with the Toronto Blue Jays? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.