Milwaukee Brewers: Why J.A. Happ makes no sense to acquire

The July rumor mill is cranking into high gear, and one name the Milwaukee Brewers have been connected to is J.A. Happ of the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Brewers are known to be in search of starting pitching. One of the top names on the market that is seen as a virtual certainty to get moved is J.A. Happ of the Blue Jays. This should speak to the general lack of pitching available on the trade market this July.

It all started with this tweet from Mark Feinsand.

He speculates that Happ is on Milwaukee’s radar, but that makes no sense. He even mentions David Stearns’ comments about getting someone to lead the rotation in his story. Yet the speculative pursuit of Happ was taken and ran with by several other bloggers.

But acquiring Happ makes no sense from the Milwaukee Brewers perspective. He’s 35 years old, with a lot of miles on his arm, he’s a pure rental, and, most importantly, he’s not someone who can lead a rotation. Happ has never been an ace before and he’s not one now. An ERA over 4.00 is indicative of that.

Sure, Happ is left handed, and he’s a veteran with a lot of experience. But this is not the move to make.

Who could the Brewers be looking at?

Feinsand does note that the Blue Jays are scouting the Brewers minor league system, but I don’t think Happ is the Crew’s target. I think their target could be Marcus Stroman. His ERA doesn’t look any better, but he’s more capable of fronting a rotation than Happ is. Plus, Stroman is controllable for two more years.

Stroman was injured for a decent chunk of the first half with fatigue, which could have impacted his early results. Since returning, he’s only allowed one earned run in his two starts.

So Happ is not a Brewers target?

It doesn’t appear so. This tweet from Jon Heyman should clarify the situation.

They are not enamored with rentals. J.A. Happ is a rental, meaning that they’re unlikely to deal for him.

David Stearns has shown he’s looking for players with long term control and he’s publicly stated that he wants someone to lead the rotation. Happ does not have long term control and he’s not capable of leading the rotation.

Happ hasn’t even had great results this season, making the desire for him around the league questionable at best. To each their own, I guess, but the Milwaukee Brewers should have no interest whatsoever in acquiring J.A. Happ from the Blue Jays.

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If the Milwaukee Brewers can land an ace this July, they are World Series contenders. But until they do, it will be tough sledding late in the season because they don’t have someone to carry this rotation.