This possible Yankees trade target is a ‘solid teammate, aggressive’

Yankees infielder Neil Walker played with possible trade target J.A. Happ of the Blue Jays and thinks highly of the left-handed starting pitcher.

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NEW YORK — If there was ever a question the Yankees would chase starting pitching before the trade deadline, owner Hal Steinbrenner stomped it out.

Steinbrenner told reporters it was a “need” and that it would be an area general manager Brian Cashman and his scouts “would be looking at” while at the Major League Baseball owners meetings in Manhattan on Wednesday.

Expect Blue Jays lefty J.A. Happ to get consideration.

And if you talk to one of his ex-teammates, Happ sounds like he’d make a good Yankees target.

“The guy is as solid a teammate as I’ve ever had and he’s very quiet, very reserved and super competitive,” Neil Walker said before the Yankees’ 5-4 loss to the Nationals at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday.

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Happ and Walker played together with the Pirates in 2015 — the start of Happ’s career renaissance. 

Happ had a 4.64 ERA in 21 games (20 starts) with the Mariners before Pittsburgh acquired him at the trade deadline. Going into that season, he had a career 4.24 ERA and a 51-53 record over seven years.

But Happ dominated when he landed in Pennsylvania, going 7-2 with a 1.85 ERA in 11 starts.

Since 2016, the 6-foot-5, 205-pounder has gone 38-18 with a 3.40 ERA.

Walker said he had always respected Happ’s ability before being his teammate and that Happ stepped it up and became more aggressive with Pittsburgh.

“When he came over,” Walker said, “having faced him for so long before we even got him, he was one of these guys that had really good stuff and every time you faced him you knew it was going to be a guy that was going to throw strikes.

“He had a good arsenal of pitches but it just seemed like he wasn’t complete just yet. And he came over to Pittsburgh and we saw him kind of doing things a little bit different than he normally would and I don’t know the pitching side of it but I know when we got him, it seemed like he was more aggressive with his fastball and getting earlier outs, wasn’t afraid to throw strikes, things like that.”

Walker said the Yankees saw more of the same when they faced him on Opening Day in Toronto this year, though Happ took the loss, giving up two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings.

“It was what we thought,” Walker said. “He works both sides of the plate — four-seam (fastball), cutter, changeup, slider, curveball. He has a good mix of stuff. What I remember watching him as a second baseman is what he was doing this year.”

Walker might get a chance to watch him as a teammate again.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.