Just over one year ago, the Yankees acquired James Paxton from the Seattle Mariners. The move was something of an opening salvo for the team’s offseason. While it didn’t precede any earth-shattering signings like we may have expected, Paxton’s acquisition was the first of many throughout the winter that reshaped the Yankees’ roster heading into 2019.
At the time, Paxton seemed like a perfect trade target for the Bombers. Just four days before the trade went down, I highlighted Paxton as the team’s primary objective on the trade market. Once the move was consummated, we described it as a great pickup, and fans appeared to approve of the trade universally.