When starting pitcher J.A. Happ is mentioned, the word “reliable” is rarely far behind.
The Toronto Blue Jays veteran has earned a reputation as one of the most consistent Blue Jays pitchers, and a strong spring has him poised for more of the same, with an Opening Day start coming up next week.
“Happ, since we’ve brought him back, he’s really, really been good,” manager John Gibbons said earlier this week. “He’s just a reliable guy. He’s going to go out there and nine times out of 10 he’s going to give you a chance to win. That’s all you can ask for. He’s really turned into a good workhorse for us. He’s one of those guys you look forward to the days he pitches.”
Only, this season isn’t quite like the others, as Happ is entering an important contract year. He’s scheduled to hit the open market next winter, when he could be thrown into the mix with one of the strongest classes of eligible free agents in years.
At 35, Happ has had plenty of practise when it comes to honing his mental game and blocking out the distractions that come with being a pending free agent or seeing your name in trade rumours—as a pitcher, it’s part of the job description.
“I’m obviously aware that I’m not signed for next year but having gone through it one time already, the free agency process, I feel like the best thing to do—and I’m going to do it to the best of my ability—is focus on the year, focus on the Blue Jays,” Happ said on The Jeff Blair Show on Thursday. “Otherwise, you kind of go down a wormhole there and all sorts of negative thoughts can creep in.”
“Easier said than done,” he continued, “but when you’re just focused on the team and the task at hand, I think then you can look back after the season and kind of go from there and hopefully, I think you’d be in a better spot.”
But even the most focused athletes can let the noise creep in from time to time.
“I’d be lying if I said that there weren’t a few thoughts before my trade from Seattle to Pittsburgh [in 2015]. I’d had kind of a rough stretch and was certainly disappointed, and that stuff sort of starts to enter your mind a little bit,” Happ explained. “But I do feel like I’m in a better space mentally with all that, so I think I’m better equipped to handle it.”
Happ signed a three-year, $36 million deal with the Blue Jays after the 2015 season. Over the first two years of the deal, he has posted a 3.33 ERA over 57 starts.
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