Yankees Need to Consider Moving JA Happ to the Bullpen if They Acquire Another Starter

After being sent to the New York Yankees from the Toronto Blue Jays last season, 35-year-old lefty JA Happ looked like a man reborn, posting a 7-0 record and a 2.69 ERA in 11 starts.

After signing a deal with the Yankees this offseason, the pixie dust has worn off and Happ looks like a player closer to retirement, putting up an unsightly 5.23 ERA mark while giving up 23 home runs.

Anytime that a Yankee is earning AJ Burnett comparisons, something is horribly wrong.

The woes continued on Tuesday night, and although he gave the Yanks a quality start, he gave up a run in the first inning yet again and then allowed another home run. The Yankees cannot continue to start games off like this much longer.

If the Yankees can pull off a move for a starter in the Trevor Bauer or Madison Bumgarner tier, then moving Happ to the bullpen would be the best course of action.

Rather than try to continue this failed experiment, which will continue into next season at the cost of $17 million, putting Happ in the bullpen will give him the chance to rebuild his stuff and regain his confidence this year as they gear up for a playoff run.

Furthermore, Aaron Boone and Yankees fans don't have to watch Happ get bounced after three subpar innings.

If the Yankees really think they could start Happ in a playoff game and have any degree of comfort or certainty that he'll put on a good performance, they're only fooling themselves. Instead of banging their head against the wall and starting Happ, trying something different might be the way to reignite his 2018 form.