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Belated thanks to jays8.21 and Damaso's Burnt Shirt for posting the initial story.
The Toronto Blue Jays have re-acquired RHP Brandon Lyon and have acquired LHP J.A. Happ and RHP David Carpenter from the Houston Astros in a ten-player trade announced this morning. Sent to the Houston Astros are OF Ben Francisco, RHP Francisco Cordero, RHP Asher Wojciechowski, RHP Joe Musgrove, LHP David Rollins, C Carlos Perez, and a player to be named later. OF Travis Snider has been recalled from the Las Vegas 51s.
UPDATE:
To make room on the 40-man roster, RHP Robert Coello (co-WAY-yo) was placed on the 60-day disabled list.
J.A. Happ has been a name that has been floated as someone that Alex Anthopoulos was interested in since the Roy Halladay trade of 2009. One of the rumours back then was that J.A. Happ (along with Joe Blanton and Domonic Brown) took physicals before the trade. Anthopoulos has a way of getting the players he wants, eventually. Of course, Happ has not been like the player he was back in 2009, but he is under club control for a while as he is not eligible for free agency until 2015. The Blue Jays are desperate for a pitcher, and Happ seems like a good guy for that. Happ last pitched on Monday, throwing 6 innings of a 4-hit shutout against the San Diego Padres, so he should be available to start whenever. Unfortunately, he will likely not face any teams like the Padres in the pitching in the American League East.
We all know Brandon Lyon. He was a starter with the Blue Jays in his first two years in the Major Leagues (back in 2001 and 2002) before he was lost on waivers to the Boston Red Sox, who converted him to a closer. Lyon had season-ending shoulder surgery last year and only appeared in 13 innings for the Astros. Welcome back to Toronto, Brandon.
David Carpenter appeared in 30 games in relief for the Astros this year, but was optioned to AAA Oklahoma on July 9. Major League opponents hit .341 against him this season. He will begin his Blue Jays career with the Las Vegas 51s (AAA).
UPDATE 2:
Alex Anthopoulos appeared on Baseball Central @ Noon on Sportsnet 590 the Fan this afternoon. He expects Travis Snider and Anthony Gose to start everyday in the outfield, with Rajai Davis coming off the bench. When Jose Bautista comes back, either Snider or Gose will be sent down, depending on who is playing better. I am a bit disturbed that Travis Snider is still being asked to fight to keep his job. In a bit of a surprise,
Anthopoulos also announced that J.A. Happ will be placed in the bullpen because he wants to "ride the hot hands" currently in the rotation. Happ will be inserted back in the rotation if and when someone falters. He also stated that this is mostly a depth trade for both teams and that "no high-ceiling" guys were moved in this trade. That is quite revealing in terms of how Blue Jays executives think of Perez, Wojciechowski, and Musgrove.
The general manager also said to not expect any further moves in the near future as the Blue Jays are not close to finalizing any deals. And good news, Brett Lawrie will most likely not require any time on the disabled list.
UPDATE 3: Added a poll!
Official news release after the jump!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TORONTO, ONTARIO
Friday, July 20, 2012
BLUE JAYS COMPLETE TRADE WITH ASTROS
The TORONTO BLUE JAYS have completed a 10-player trade with the Houston Astros. LHP J.A. HAPP, RHP BRANDON LYON & RHP DAVID CARPENTER have been acquired by the Blue Jays, while OF BEN FRANCISCO, RHP FRANCISCO CORDERO, RHP ASHER WOJCIECHOWSKI, RHP JOE MUSGROVE, LHP DAVID ROLLINS, C CARLOS PEREZ and a player to be named later have been traded to the Astros. OF TRAVIS SNIDER has been recalled by the club from Las Vegas (AAA) and will report to Boston in time for tonight’s game.
HAPP, 29, is in his 6th Major League season, and has posted a 7-9 record with a 4.83 ERA in 18 starts this season with Houston. The Peru, Illinois native has posted 12 quality starts in his last 18 outings and has allowed three or less runs in four of his last five. The 6-6, 195lb. left-hander owns a 32-33 career record with a 4.16 ERA in his six seasons with Philadelphia (2007-10) and Houston (2010-12).
LYON, 32, is 0-2 with a 3.75 ERA in 37 relief appearances. The Salt Lake City, Utah native is returning to the Blue Jays after breaking into the Major Leagues with the club in 2001-02. The 6-1, 200lb. right-hander is in his 11th season having posted a 36-45 record with a 4.17 ERA and 78 saves in 505 games, including 21 starts, all with Toronto.
CARPENTER, 27, is in his 2nd Major League season having posted a 0-2 record with a 6.07 ERA in 30 relief appearances. The Morgantown, West Virginia native recorded a 1-3 record with a 2.93 ERA in his rookie season in 2011. The right-hander will report to Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League (AAA).