The Yankees have recently acquired James Paxton and Twitter had a blast with the deal. Let’s take a look at some of the best reactions.
In case you haven’t noticed, the second most important sports season is currently underway: Baseball’s offseason. The Yankees and General Manager Brian Cashman have been very busy thus far, signing veterans Brett Gardner and CC Sabathia to one-year deals and on Monday, the Yankees made a major splash, trading for James Paxton. Here are the best reactions from Yankees Twitter.
— Vlad Sedler (@RotoGut) November 19, 2018
Here we go!!!
Big Maple is headed to the Big Apple pic.twitter.com/xkhrqKfUym
— NYY Sports Talk (@NYYSportsTalk) November 19, 2018
This will be on headlines everywhere.
Not so subtle reminder…. #Yankees @MLBNetworkRadio pic.twitter.com/KDFOfMoWxv
— Casey Stern (@CaseyStern) November 19, 2018
Lest we forget, this is about winning a championship. It’s nice to stockpile prospects, but prospects usually don’t help you win NOW. The Yankees have a ton of prospects and some of them will have to be put on the 40-man roster, or be lost in the Rule 5 draft. Erik Swanson was one such player.
BIG (MAPLE) MOOD! pic.twitter.com/Ygl40T2WXW
— Pinstripe Alley (@pinstripealley) November 19, 2018
What was Paxton’s biggest highlight of the season?
A. An Eagle landing on him
Retweet if you can’t wait to see James Paxton in a Yankees uniform 👀pic.twitter.com/cqpHtzgG0L
— Baseball King™ (@BasebaIlKing) November 19, 2018
B. A No-Hitter. (Hint: It’s B).
In talking with some scouts around baseball, they are less than impressed with what the M's got in return for Paxton. Many have questions about Sheffield's future as a starter and ability to throw enough strikes.
— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) November 19, 2018
From Dipoto’s call:
Sheffield, close to big league ready, potential for impact. Could compete for rotation in 2019.
Swanson, projects as a 3/4, innings horse, exceptional command. Again, could be in rotation in 2019.
Dom, swing change guy, power came last spring. 5-tool athlete.— Corey Brock (@CoreyBrockMLB) November 20, 2018
Jerry Dipoto is nothing if not a wheeler and dealer. I’m not sold that Dipoto got as much as he could have for Paxton, however, without knowing what else was on the table, that’s hard to determine. Apparently, the Astros would not part with Forrest Whitley.
The Yankees Now Have a Second Ace https://t.co/46zBmIFEZS
— FanGraphs Baseball (@fangraphs) November 20, 2018
Pitchers with K% above 30% and BB% below 7% (min. 150 IP) in 2018:
James Paxton
Chris Sale
Max Scherzer
Justin Verlander
Jacob deGrom
Patrick Corbin— Katie Sharp (@ktsharp) November 19, 2018
Pretty good company, eh? Although, if you raise the minimum IP to 161, Paxton would fall off that list. Paxton certainly is ace material when he’s on the field, however, he’s never thrown more than the 160.1 IP he had last year. The injury history is troubling, to say the least.
When the #Yankees basically turn Andrew Miller into James Paxton and Clint Frazier then re sign Miller this off season. pic.twitter.com/IPmFMv0H3f
— Embrace the Hate Yankees (@EvilNYYagainplz) November 20, 2018
Cashman: Wizard
Yanks and SEA have made deals on
Nov 18 2016
Nov 18 2017
Nov 19 2018— Bobby Milone (@BobbyMilone29) November 20, 2018
Ok, maybe there is actually a little magic going on here…
The Yankees can’t afford to have him develop at the major league level. https://t.co/dhq3YJtcNH
— Derk (@captainderk) November 20, 2018
This is a win now move.
Sheffield not helping them win this year (most likely). Paxton can be dominant at times.
This also alleviates the NEED to get Corbin in case a bidding war ensues.
— C.J. Esposito (@CJ_Esposito) November 19, 2018
Again, Paxton helps the Yankees RIGHT NOW. Sheffield is a good prospect, but he’s not an elite major league arm yet (and he may never get there). The Yankees were one win from the World Series in 2017 and had 100 wins in 2018. They are built to compete for a championship and cannot simply wait for young pitchers to develop.
.@James_Paxton is pumped to be the newest member of the New York #Yankees and he can't wait for the intense games against the #RedSox. 🍁 pic.twitter.com/4F0vNCLSYE
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) November 20, 2018
He better be ready.
James Paxton without facial hair, just to give you an idea what to expect. pic.twitter.com/BzpjRlzbq0
— Sung Min Kim (@sung_minkim) November 20, 2018
Slap a mustache on that baby-face.