The “Evil Empire” strikes again.

The New York Yankees made a big move on Monday by trading pitcher Justus Sheffield, outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams, and pitcher Erik Swanson for Seattle Mariners ace James Paxton.

Paxton posted a solid 2018 season with the Seattle Mariners and was a key part of their incredible run that brought the team so close to its first Postseason appearance since 2001 with an 11-6 record in 2018 while posting a decent 3.76 ERA over 160 1/3 innings. Paxton has two more years of arbitration left on his contract after earning $4.9 Million for last year’s efforts. With his being the Yankees, Paxton will be compensated generously for his efforts these next few seasons.

While the Yankees will be getting a stud left-handed pitcher who will be an anchor in an already fantastic pitching rotation, the Mariners made out like bandits as of right now. Here is a look at the Mariner’s haul.

First, the Mariners will be receiving 22-year-old stud Minor League pitcher Justus Sheffield. Sheffield was the New York Yankees No. 1 overall prospect prior to the trade and is currently ranked No. 31 in all of baseball for the time being. Sheffield made his big league debut in September for the Bronx Bombers, pitching 2 2/3 innings across three appearances. The first two outings of his career were scoreless before he received his “welcome to the big leagues” moment from J.D. Martinez who clobbered a three-run bomb off of the young stud. Despite the minor setback, the future looks bright for the rising star.

Next, Dom Thompson-Williams, a 23-year-old outfielder, has been a stud in the Minors, hitting a solid .299/.363/.546 with 22 home runs, 74 runs batted in, 63 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases through 415 plate appearances, splitting his playing time between Single-A Charleston and High-A Tampa. The youngster was not rated among the Yankees’ top 30 prospects by MLB Pipeline.

Finally, 25-year-old pitcher Erik Swanson, the Yankees’ No. 22 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, pitched his way to a solid 2.66 ERA through 121 2/3 innings in 2018. Swanson split his playing time this year between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

James Paxton is a solid pitcher and will be a valuable asset to the Yankees going forward in their hunt for World Series glory, despite this, it is clear that the Mariners have won this deal and will now have three new studs to continue building around while they plan for the future, and the Yankees plan for the present.