The New York Yankees finalized a trade with the Seattle Mariners that will bring lefty pitcher, James Paxton to the Big Apple.
To complete the deal, the Bronx Bombers shipped three prospects including Justus Sheffield to Seattle.
Sheffield, the Yankees’ top prospect was a Cleveland Indians 2014 first-round pick.
Sheffield, 22 had a 7-6 this season with a 2.48 ERA in 20 starts.
Paxton spent his entire career with the Mariners. The 30-year-old went 11-6 in 28 starts last season and had 3.76 ERA.
Health has always been the thing holding Paxton back, and indeed his inning count the past two years left something to be desired: 160.1 in 2018 and 136 in 2017. Still, the Yankees just need Paxton to be a solid No. 2 with Luis Severino as their ace. With Masahiro Tanaka behind Paxton, the Yankees’ frontline is already much improved.
A plus with Paxton is that he’s under team control until 2021. Salary arbitration should make him a relative bargain for the big-spending Yankees. He earned just $4.9 million in 2018.
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Yankees To Land James Paxton in Seattle Mariners Trade