J.A. Happ signs with Toronto

In 11 starts with the Bucs, he went 7-2, with a 1.85 ERA and 1.02 WHIP.

The Blue Jays dealt Happ to the Seattle Mariners prior to the 2015 season in exchange for Canadian outfielder Michael Saunders.

New motion and all, Happ is a nice pickup for the Blue Jays, who are looking to build up their rotation. Top prospects Tyler Glasnow and Jameson Taillon nearly certainly won’t make the roster out of spring training, injuries decimated their Class AAA starting depth and they lost two starters, Happ and A.J. Burnett, from their 2015 roster. Essentially Happ got paid very well for a few strong innings to close out last season. Toronto had a potent offense that led the league in scoring last season, but the team’s pitching prevented it from getting over the American League Champion Series hump and into the World Series.

For Toronto, it’s obvious they felt Happ’s second-half performance wasn’t a result of Ray Searage, but the track record says otherwise.

But Happ looked especially sharp after the Pirates acquired him from the Mariners before the trade deadline in July.

Happ owns a 62-61 record with a 4.13 ERA over 196 career outings (171 starts).