Astros, Happ agree to terms on contract

HOUSTON, TX -  Left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ has agreed to terms on a one-year contract worth $2.35 million, Astros General Manager Jeff Luhnow announced today.

Happ, who earned $474,000 in 2011, had been eligible for arbitration for the first time in his career. With Happ’s signing, shortstop Jed Lowrie is now the only unsigned, arbitration-eligible player on the Astros roster. The deadline for clubs and players to exchange salary arbitration figures was today at noon (CT). 

Happ, 29, finished the 2011 season strongly after a slow start, posting a 2-1 record in his final six starts with a 2.43 ERA (10ER/37IP) while allowing just 22 hits in 37.0 innings for a .175 opponents average. For the season, he was 6-15 in 28 starts overall with a 5.35 ERA (93ER/156.1IP).

For his career, Happ is 25-24 in 88 appearances (72 starts) with a 4.00 ERA (198ER/445.1IP), which includes a 9-7 mark in 23 career starts at Minute Maid Park with a 3.99 ERA. Happ, who was the Sporting News NL Rookie of the Year in 2009 (12-4, 2.93 ERA), was acquired by the Astros from Philadelphia on July 29, 2010, as part of the Roy Oswalt deal.