What do Dan Haren, Barry Zito, and A.J. Burnett have in common?

By Bill BaerAug 9, 2013, 10:05 PM EDT
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No, none of them are in my kitchen.

Nationals starter Dan Haren tossed seven solid innings of ball tonight, holding the Phillies to two runs on four hits and no walks while striking out seven. Haren earned the W, the first of his career against the Phillies and his seventh of the year. The win also put Haren in some rare company:

 

 

Haren, by the way, has been excellent since returning on July 8 from the disabled list after suffering from inflammation in his right shoulder. In six starts spanning 37 innings, the right-hander has posted a 2.43 ERA with 39 strikeouts and eight walks.

Yankees, Mariners expressing interest in J.A. Happ

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By Craig CalcaterraJun 18, 2018, 11:29 AM EDT
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Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports that the Yankees and Mariners are both expressing interest in Blue Jays starter J.A. Happ.

Happ is posting a 3.48 ERA and a 94/25 K/BB ratio in 82.2 innings across 14 starts and has been stingy with the hits as well. Between that, the Blue Jays’ lack of contention and the fact that Happ is in the walk year of his three-year, $36 million deal, all signs point to the Jays trading them.

In normal circumstances you might not expect the Jays to make a trade with the Yankees, but at this point it sort of doesn’t matter, does it? It’s not like Happ in New York on a couple month rental will impact the 2018 Jays too much. And, given his pending free agency, it’s not extraordinarily likely that he’d haunt the Jays from the Bronx long term either.

There’s not a ton of elite pitching currently available, but as the trade deadline approaches — a little over a month to go on that score — the talk about Happ, Cole Hamels, Francisco Liriano and others will heat up. Figure the Yankees will be linked with any and all available starters.