The Yankees and J.A. Happ are currently working to resolve a situation with the pitcher’s vesting option, according to league sources. At stake could be whether the veteran lefty will remain with the team beyond this year.
A lack of clarity on Happ’s contract stems from his exclusion from an agreement reached Monday night between the Players’ Association and Major League Baseball on contract clauses made unclear by a 60-game season, like incentives and vesting options.
In the pre-Covid world, Happ was due $17 million for the 2021 season if he made 27 starts or pitched 165 innings.
MLB and the union agreed on Monday that the triggers for vesting options would be prorated, but the options paid in full. Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported that Happ was one of a small group of players excluded from this agreement. This means that he and the club must either negotiate new contract details or have them decided by an arbitrator.
But why?
Neither Yankees GM Brian Cashman, Happ's agent, Dave Rogers, nor a Players’ Association spokesperson responded to a request for comment. According to multiple officials for other clubs, however, the reason was potential readiness for the original Opening Day in late March. As one club source put it, players who “weren’t expected to be available from day one of the season were carved out a bit” from the Monday agreement.
According to an industry source, Minnesota Twins pitcher Rich Hill was also excluded from the agreement. Hill was recovering from elbow surgery and didn’t expect to be ready until June.
This doesn’t add up for Happ, at least not on the surface. He was throwing well in spring training, before the pandemic forced the sport to shut down.
Last season, Happ underwent tests on his left biceps, but returned and pitched through the playoffs. He was and is expected to be an important member of the 2020 rotation. By all accounts, he is healthy.
All of this had led to some confusion, which is why the sides are talking.