Cincinnati Reds: What the James Paxton trade means

James Paxton was traded from the Mariners to the Yankees. What does the transaction mean for the Cincinnati Reds, who are looking for starting pitching?

James Paxton has been traded, but no to the Cincinnati Reds. The New York Yankees put together a deal yesterday that sent their top prospect and others to Seattle in exchange for the left-handed Paxton. Even though the Reds were unsuccessful in landing Paxton, what does the trade mean for Cincinnati going forward?

Sometimes it’s not the moves you make but the moves you don’t make, and that is exactly what the Cincinnati Reds did. They didn’t make the move to acquire Paxton and Reds fans should be jumping with joy over the fact they didn’t make the deal because of what it would have cost.

The New York Yankees sent their No. 1 prospect, Justus Sheffield, to the Mariners along with outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams, and right-handed pitcher Erik Swanson. Sheffield was originally drafted by the Cleveland Indians but was traded to New York in a package for pitcher Andrew Miller back in 2016.

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Sheffield is the No. 31 prospect in all of baseball and No. 4 among left-handed pitchers. He projects as at least a middle-of-the-rotation starter and was the centerpiece of this deal for Seattle. Swanson is a fastball-heavy reliever that will likely find his way onto the Mariners Opening Day roster and Thompson-Williams is still a few years away from being Major League ready.

So what does all of that mean for the Cincinnati Reds? A lot. It gives everyone around baseball an idea of the market for a pitcher like Paxton, who is a top-of-the-rotation starter with two years of team control remaining on his contract.

Specifically for Cincinnati, it means that making a deal for Paxton would’ve cost them big time. A good comparison of what the Reds would’ve had to give up in order to land James Paxton would’ve surely included the likes Taylor Trammell or Nick Senzel for starters. The Reds would’ve also had to throw in a player like Jeter Downs, Mike Siani, Keury Mella, Jimmy Herget, or José Siri.

Would you feel comfortable, if you were the Reds, sending Trammell, Herget, and Siri to the Mariners in exchange for two years of James Paxton? Me neither. Paxton’s injury history alone would’ve been enough to scare me away from trading a player like Trammell.

So what’s next for Cincinnati in the trade market? Well, this trade has to raise the question regarding J.A. Happ’s future in the Bronx. Will the Reds make a run at him in free agency? Also, Sonny Gray is still on the trade block. Might the Reds make a run at him and what will it cost?

We’ve been sitting back waiting with bated breath in anticipation of the upcoming moves the Reds are bound to make this offseason. The Mariners and Yankees started off the winter with a blockbuster trade, will the Reds follow suit with a trade of their own.