Yankees land James Paxton in trade, send top prospect to Mariners

ByABC News
November 19, 2018, 7:16 PM

The Mariners and Yankees completed a trade Monday that sends ace left-hander James Paxton to New York for three prospects, including top-rated lefty Justus Sheffield.

The other two prospects going to Seattle are outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams and right-handed pitcher Erik Swanson.

Paxton, who turned 30 this month, has spent his entire career with Seattle. He went 11-6 in 28 starts last season with a 3.76 ERA. His 208 strikeouts ranked ninth in the American League. He threw a no-hitter against the Blue Jays on May 8.

The move bolsters the Yankees' thin starting rotation, which contributed to New York's loss in the AL Division Series to the eventual World Series champion Red Sox. He joins a rotation projected to include right-handers Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka and left-hander CC Sabathia.

Paxton made $4.9 million last season and is eligible for salary arbitration. He can become a free agent after the 2020 season.

Sheffield, a first-round pick of the Indians in 2014, is the Yankees' No. 1 prospect and made his major league debut in September with three relief appearances. 

The 22-year-old was No. 12 on  Keith Law's 2018 midseason rankings of all prospects in baseball. He went 7-6 with a 2.48 ERA in 25 games (20 starts) with Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this year.

Swanson, the Yankees' No. 22 prospect according to MLB.com, was promoted to Triple-A last season, where he went 3-2 with a 3.98 ERA in 13 starts with 78 strikeouts and 14 walks.

The Yankees picked Thompson-Williams in the fifth round in 2016. The 23-year-old hit .299 with 22 home runs and 20 stolen bases in A-ball with Tampa and Charleston this year.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.