It Sucks to See Happ Go
As much as this trade is going to be good for the team, it still sucks giving up J.A. Happ.
As I’m writing this post, Oswalt has accepted but we still don’t know all the pieces for sure. We know that JA Happ will be sent to Houston along with a few minor league prospects. The analysts say these prospects will likely be pretty good but there is no definite answer as to who they are.
The only bad part of this deal is that Happ had to be involved. The move does make the playoff rotation A LOT better but not necessarily the regular season rotation. Happ wasn’t the weak link. Even though he’s only pitched in 3 games so far this year, he’s 1-0 with an era of 1.76 and there’s no reason to think he couldn’t do the same thing he did last year from here on out.
We all know he should have been rookie of the year last season and he’s never gotten the attention he deserves from the media. He finished last year with a 12-4 record and his 2.93 era was one of the best amonst all starters in the majors. He’s also 5 years younger than Oswalt.
I’m not saying they shouldn’t have done this trade but to me it’s bittersweet. At the end of the year, they’ll still probably need to go after a solid starter (Kendrick is shaky, Blanton just doesn’t have it this year, and Moyer’s future is questionable).
Overall, it puts them in a better position to win the world series so we can’t complain. I want to wish Happ good luck in Houston and welcome Roy Oswalt to the Phillies.
I completely agree. Happ is vastly underrated. I was at his complete game shutout against the Rockies last year; cheering him throughout the game was one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had at CBP.