The Yankees agreed to acquire J.A. Happ on July 26 because of Aug. 17.
It doesn’t have to be Aug. 17. It can be Aug. 6 or Sept. 9 or really any day the rest of the season.
That would be the day CC Sabathia’s knee is too painful to allow him to pitch or Masahiro Tanaka’s elbow misery arises anew or … fill in the pitcher and the malady.
It would be one thing if Jacob deGrom or Madison Bumgarner was available to the Yankees. That would be the kind of top-of-the-rotation, start-Game-1-or-2-of-a-playoff-series hurler the Yankees would be moving heaven, earth and Justus Sheffield for.