Justus Sheffield may have been the New York Yankees top prospect, but it’s clear he was never part of the plan
Throughout the 2018 season, the New York Yankees issues were with their starting pitching. They traded for Lance Lynn and J.A. Happ. They gave Domingo German and Jonathan Loaisiga extended looks. Even Chance Adams got a chance to start. One person who never got a whiff of a start was Justus Sheffield. He wasn’t even added to the 40-man roster until late September.
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The New York Yankees dealt Sheffield as the main prospect in package with the Seattle Mariners for James Paxton. Paxton wasn’t the only big name they were using Sheffield as the main piece. It turns out, they were trying to use Sheffield to acquire Paul Goldschmidt.
"Rival executives report that the Yankees seemed to be pushing Justus Sheffield in conversations about a possible Goldschmidt deal before they moved Sheffield to the Mariners as the prime piece for James Paxton,"
The fact that the New York Yankees were using Sheffield as their main piece to get Paxton, and were trying to use him as their main piece to get Goldschmidt proves Sheffield was never in their plans for 2019, even though the team needed starting pitching.
Yes, the New York Yankees are at the point where they have to go for it, and that means sacrificing part of the future, however, they wouldn’t trade Miguel Andujar when the Pittsburgh Pirates asked him for Gerrit Cole and wouldn’t move Gleyber Torres for anything either. However, Brian Cashman was pushing Sheffield in a potential swap for Goldschmidt and used him as the main piece for Paxton.
If you look at the New York Yankees farm system, the main crop of their talent is at the lower levels right now. Thanks to trades and multiple major league promotions, the upper levels are thinner. The fact that they were pushing and eventually used Sheffield as a main trade chip, proves he wasn’t part of the plan.