The New York Yankees have started the offseason with a bang as they acquired Mariners ace LHP James Paxton. The Yankees dealt their top prospect in LHP Justus Sheffield along with RHP Erik Swanson and OF Dom Thompson-Williams. The Yankees now have bolstered their rotation in their quest for their 28th World Series Championship.
Paxton is also known as "The Big Maple" and is coming off an impressive 2018 campaign. Paxton threw a no hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 8th and also threw a 16 strikeout game vs the Oakland Athletics on May 2nd. Paxton finished the year 11-6 with a 3.76 ERA or a 108 ERA+, 208 strikeouts, and 42 walks in 160.1 innings pitched. Paxton is the big time pitcher the Yankees needed but there are some caution flags.
James Paxton has dealt with injury problems throughout his career. He has had forearm, shoulder, and back injuries but has still been able to pitch to be the ace of the Seattle Mariners. Paxton will enter his age 30 season and will not be a free agent until 2021. Paxton slots into the 1 or 2 slot in the Yankees rotation and the Yankees have now filled one of their biggest holes.
Brian Cashman and the Yankees added a pitcher who can help them neutralize some of their biggest competition in the American League. Paxton has pitched to a 3.63 against Boston and 2.92 against Houston over the last three seasons. Adding Paxton is the first big move of the offseason and the Yankees will continue to add pieces to their 2019 Yankees puzzle.
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