4 reasons Yankees trade for JA Happ won’t be their last move

Acquiring JA Happ and Zach Britton represents a solid trade deadline for the Yankees, but don’t think for a moment Brian Cashman is done making moves.

The race for the AL East crown is only going to get more interesting. The Red Sox have added Nathan Eovaldi to their starting rotation but the Yankees have made two significant moves. Reliever Zach Britton and starter JA Happ will help solidify New York’s pitching staff. It’s a good start by Brian Cashman, but don’t expect the Yankees to stop working to improve the roster.

It’s not a lock that the Yankees will make another trade, but the odds do favor at least one more transaction. There are lots of reasons to justify that assertion. The first reason is that injuries are still taking a toll on the roster.

4. Gary Sanchez’s injury

All of the focus so far has been on improving the Yankees pitching staff. That isn’t the only questionable spot on the roster. The news that Sanchez is going to be out until late August or early September makes improving the catcher position a potential priority.

Admittedly, it’s going to be tough for Cashman to pull this sort of move off. Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka are decent backup options. They don’t have the All-Star potential of Sanchez, but they could be starters on other teams. The bar for upgrading the catcher spot in Sanchez’s absence is already pretty high.

Getting a left-handed hitter to platoon with those two would be an intriguing move though. A more consistent right-handed option would also be considered. There were rumblings that the Blue Jays deal for Happ would be expanded to include Luke Maile but that part of the deal didn’t come off. A move may not ultimately come off, but expect the Yankees to explore a few options at catcher before the trade deadline arrives.