5 moves the Yankees still need to make after signing Gerrit Cole

1. Trade J.A. Happ

Contrary to what some Yankees fans on social media believe, Happ is a good candidate to enjoy a bounce back season in 2020. Yes, age-related regression will continue to be an issue for the veteran southpaw, but removing some juice from the ball could really help him keep the ball in the yard. Coincidentally, that was his biggest weakness in 2019.

With all that said, there isn’t really room for Happy in the Yankees’ rotation or on their payroll. They might be forced to eat some of his salary or attach an asset to get him entirely off the books in a trade, but it’s still a move Cashman wants to make.

The real question is whether or not there’s another team out there willing to make an aggressive offer for his services. The Yankees would be happy to give him up for a middling prospect if they aren’t forced to take money back in the deal. That might be a little more than the market will pay for Happ given his struggles last season.

The Yankees aren’t going to rush to give Happ away, but it would still be a major surprise if he’s on the team when Spring Training arrives. The more reasonable expectation is for Cashman to wait until the free agent pitching marker dries up before shopping him aggressively. Either way, his days in pinstripes appear to be numbered.