Yankees Reportedly Looking to Trade J.A. Happ to Help With Gerrit Cole Signing

The New York Yankees are preparing to pay Gerrit Cole a fortune.

The team has the money to offer a deal over $300 million. That has never been a problem. However, like any smart business, New York is looking to make some salary moves to soften the blow. One of those moves is to reportedly move on from J.A. Happ.

Happ is owed a total of $17 million in 2020 and has a $17 million vested option for 2021. Clearing up that money amounts to about one year of Cole. Still, it eases the pain of the luxury tax to be paid once Cole arrives.

Cole to the Yankees is still not a done deal. It is just hard to see him signing elsewhere is the team is so set on doing anything it takes to acquire him. He was originally drafted by New York, only to choose college over going pro at the time.

Happ is 37 years old and can be a nice acquisition for a contender. Other teams also have the leverage in a deal because the Yankees are desperate to move his contract.

Seeing Happ traded may signal that the Cole signing is imminent and could be the last domino to fall before the news drops. Stay tuned, Yankees fans.