Former Blue Jay J.A. Happ Retires After 15 Seasons
Veteran left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ is retiring after parts of 15 major-league seasons. The 39-year-old made the announcement May 26 on an episode of The Heart Strong Podcast.
A one-time All-Star, Happ played six years total with the Blue Jays, first from 2012 to 2014, then again from 2016 until 2018, when he was dealt to the Yankees at the trade deadline for Brandon Drury and Billy McKinney. In 745.1 regular-season innings with the Jays, Happ fashioned a 3.88 ERA (108 ERA+) and made two starts for Toronto in the 2016 playoffs, allowing two runs in 10 innings.
Happ, who last played for the Cardinals in 2021, is the second former Blue Jay to retire recently, as Russell Martin announced his farewell to baseball on May 28.
The 6-foot-5 lefty finishes his career with a 4.13 ERA (100 ERA+) and 1,661 strikeouts over 1,893.2 innings.
Ethan Diamandas is a contributing writer who covers the Toronto Blue Jays for Sports Illustrated. He also writes for Yahoo Sports Canada and MLB.com. Follow Ethan on Twitter @EthanDiamandas