Jays Sign SP Happ to 2 Year Extension (w/ Option)

[Secueritae]

Press conference for this tomorrow morning at 9am

Really? Nobody is going to care we extended JA freaking Happ, haha

Yup, pretty sure the Conference's objective is to answer the media's questions about Romero.

[Avenger]

Happ is giving up a year of his free agency pretty cheaply. Another team friendly extension by the Jays.

no he's not, he's giving it up a for nice guaranteed salary next year which he might not make in arbitration if he regresses or gets injured which is always a serious concern for pitchers. If the Jays didn't do this extension and Happ blows up and has a great year, the Jays would have ended up paying only a little bit more and avoided all of the risk. I know its not my money and this is too minor of a deal to get worked up about but i absolutely hate it when teams go around guarantying money they don't have to, especially to pitchers.

[There There]

It's more the message that Happ's #5 job is his for the foreseeable future. That was the more surprising part. For how bad Ricky has been, Happ is still not really that great...

It doesn't make any difference in "the foreseeable future"... He was already signed, and Ricky remaining in Dunedin already meant that the #5 spot was Happ's for the foreseeable future... there is no other realistic option until Romero is ready.

If Romero rights himself, and the club thinks he's closer to 2011 Romero than 2012, then Happ will not block him.

[Randle McMurphy]

no he's not, he's giving it up a for nice guaranteed salary next year which he might not make in arbitration if he regresses or gets injured which is always a serious concern for pitchers.

It's no Yunel Escobar deal, certainly. A year of FA is still a lot to give up for some extra security next year (as he likely would have made just about the same $ in arbitration), but I suppose it's understandable on his end considering his lesser/uncertain role on this team.

If the Jays didn't do this extension and Happ blows up and has a great year, the Jays would have ended up paying only a little bit more and avoided all of the risk. I know its not my money and this is too minor of a deal to get worked up about but i absolutely hate it when teams go around guarantying money they don't have to, especially to pitchers.

The risk is minimal for the team and the upside is significant if he remains a decent pitcher over the next two years. It's a good deal, especially if the improvements that he showed last year with the Jays can be maintained (and my guess is that AA thinks they can be based on this deal).

[J-Roc]

Sounds like a tradeable asset for when...if...Ricky gets back.

[LBJSeizedMyID]

Exactly my view of the deal as well.

[James_Raptors]

I can't see anything negative about the deal.

[LittleOzzy]

Shi Davidi ‏@ShiDavidi 29m

After JA Happ extension, #BlueJays have roughly $109m committed to 13 players for 2014, or just over half roster. Happ due $5.2m next year

[flatjacket1]

To me this says more about the extendability of Johnson than the shortfalls of Romero. If we lost Happ, we would be short a starting pitcher when JJ leaves.

I don't think Romero should be forgotten about, I think he can easily take the 5th spot back at some point this year.

I like the extension it is a small gamble all else considered. It prevents us from forming a hole during the Dickey/Bautista/Edwin era in the rotation.