The Seattle Mariners have agreed to terms of a trade with the New York Yankees sending James Paxton to the Yankees in exchange for pitcher Justus Sheffield, outfielder Don Thompson-Williams, and pitcher Erik Swanson.
Paxton deal to Yankees is for Sheffield, OF Don Thompson-Williams and RHP Erik Swanson.
— Corey Brock (@CoreyBrockMLB) November 19, 2018
Paxton was very good for the Mariners in 2018, putting up an 11-6 record with a ERA of 3.76 and WHIP of 1.09 while striking out 208 over 160.1 innings pitched. Earlier this year, Paxton also threw the first no-hitter of his MLB career against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees acquiring Paxton seems to be their continuation of the plan to keep bolstering down their starting rotation which is what they have been planning to do this offseason. It appears that even after the
Source: #Yankees remain interested in free agents Patrick Corbin and J.A. Happ, following the James Paxton deal. Yankees are placing a higher priority on adding one more starting pitcher than signing Manny Machado or Bryce Harper. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 19, 2018
The Yankees sacrificed their top pitching progress in giving up Sheffield, who spent most of the 2018 season at the Triple-A level, accumulating 15 starts, going 6-4 with an ERA of 2.56 with a WHIP of 1.16 for the Yankees Triple-A affiliate. The Mariners have decided to pack it in and focus on letting their younger talent develop, and adding this new set of prospects win Sheffield, Thompson-Williams, and Swanson will add to the crop of young players they have.
