The New York Yankees made an important addition to their Monday rotation by acquiring Seattle Mariners southpaw James Paxton for three players, including the best prospect, Justus Sheffield.

Paxton, 30, beat 208 drummers, the highest number of his career, last season while he was trying to compile a record of 11-6 and an average of 3.76. In May, he launched the sixth draw in the history of the Mariners when he cleared the Toronto Blue Jays in a 5-0 win.

And if in doubt about his ability to handle the spotlight in New York, remember that he barely flinched when a bald eagle landed on his shoulder before his departure in April.

The 6-4 rider from Ladner, BC, has had injuries throughout his career, but he has shown flashes of genius when he is in good health. Paxton had a 41-26 record in six major league seasons and eliminated an average of 9.5 batters in nine innings.

The Yankees won 100 games last season, but placed second in front of any eventual World Series champion, the Boston Red Sox, in the AHL. Reinforcing the starting rotation was one of their off-season priorities – and Paxton gave them a solid No. 2 to play between right-handers Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka.

To get Paxton, the Yankees had to part with three players, including one of their main minor league arms.

Sheffield, 22, made her maiden league debut in September, scoring three earned runs in three appearances. Prior to his promotion, he went 7-6 with a silver medal of 2.48 in 116 innings in AA and AAA classes. The first-round pick of the Cleveland Indians in 2014, Sheffield was bought by the Yankees under a 2016 contract with substitute Andrew Miller.

Also go to Seattle:

Right-handed pitcher Erik Swanson, 25, went 8-2 with a 2.66 silver medal on three levels of the minor league.

As for 23-year-old Dom Thompson-Williams, she beat .299 / .363 / .546 in two A-class saves and led all of the Yankees' minor leagues in 2018 with 22 homers.

Follow Gardner on Twitter @SteveAGardner