loading...
League Logo
MLB
League Logo
CBB
League Logo
NBA
League Logo
MLB
League Logo
NHL
All
    loading...

    Yankees vs. Mariners: James Paxton faces Seattle for first time since trade to New York

    The Yankees' James Paxton and Mariners' Justus Sheffield, traded for one another last November, face off on Wednesday afternoon in Seattle.
    Hero Image

    The New York Yankees close out a three-game series in Seattle on Wednesday afternoon, with a first pitch of 4:10 p.m. ET from T-Mobile Park. It also concludes New York's nine-game West Coast trip. What makes Wednesday's game most interesting, though, is the two starting pitchers because they were traded for each other last year in a blockbuster.

    On Nov. 19, 2018, the Yankees sent three prospects, headlined by their top-rated pitcher, left-hander Justus Sheffield, to Seattle for Mariners ace southpaw James Paxton. New York needed MLB-ready starting pitching and Paxton was coming off a career year in which he was 11-6 with a 3.76 ERA and 208 strikeouts. He also threw a no-hitter against Toronto (Paxton is from Canada).

    The Mariners, meanwhile, knew their full-blown rebuild was starting in 2019 so they were ready to beef up their farm system. Sheffield was a consensus Top 20 prospect in all of baseball. He will face off against Paxton on Wednesday, with New York a solid favorite on the MLB odds.

    One knock on Paxton has been that he's injury-prone. The 30-year-old did miss a bit of time this year and started a bit slowly but is rolling right now with five straight wins to improve to 10-6 with a 4.43 ERA. He has allowed more than three earned runs just once in that stretch and batters are hitting only .209 off him over those five games. This will be his first-ever start against Seattle as Paxton began his big-league career in 2013 with the Mariners. He is 21-15 with a 2.98 ERA in 50 career starts at T-Mobile Park (formerly Safeco Field)

    Sheffield is still highly-regarded, although his minor-league numbers weren't as good this year. His big-league debut came in relief on April 26 vs. Texas and he allowed two runs over three innings. His MLB starting debut was last week against the Blue Jays, and Sheffield allowed three runs and seven hits over four innings in a no-decision. 

    Matt SeveranceSeverance Pays

    Share This Story