Heading into the offseason Brian Cashman said his main goal was to add two elite-level starting pitchers to the Yankees rotation for 2019. First, he added James Paxton in a trade with the Seattle Mariners and now the re-signing of Happ.
Once the Yankees missed out on signing Patrick Corbin, the top free agent starter on the market it made a ton of sense for them to pivot to Happ. According to multiple reports, Happ was looking to sign with a team that gave him a guaranteed three-year deal, but it seems like he made an exception to return to the Yankees because they’re a team that can compete for a championship.