Blue Jays trade Happ to Yankees for Drury, McKinney

The New York Yankees made another major splash ahead of the non-waiver trade deadline, acquiring left-handed starter J.A. Happ from the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday for infielder Brandon Drury and outfielder Billy McKinney, the team announced.

Happ, who's on an expiring contract, was the Blue Jays' Opening Day starter and the top pitcher on the market. Over 20 starts this season, the 35-year-old has authored a 4.18 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 130 strikeouts, and 3.84 FIP while earning his first All-Star selection.

The addition of Happ comes just just two days after the Yankees acquired two-time All-Star reliever Zach Britton from the Baltimore Orioles for three prospects.

Drury, 25, was acquired this offseason by the Yankees from the Arizona Diamondbacks, a move made to add depth. However, the utility man has been the odd man out for a stacked club. Over 18 games in the major leagues this year, Drury owns a .176/.263/.275 slash line with one homer. In 55 Triple-A games, he's hitting .294/.403/.447 with five home runs and 13 doubles.

The left-handed-hitting McKinney also factored into a relatively recent trade as part of the haul the Yankees received from the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 Aroldis Chapman deal. The 23-year-old ranked as the No. 20 prospect in the Yankees' system, according to MLB Pipeline. He's posting a .230/.294/.502 slash line with 13 home runs in Triple-A this year.