Headlines

  • Angels Acquire LaMonte Wade Jr.
  • Braves Designate Craig Kimbrel For Assignment
  • Corbin Burnes To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
  • Braves Select Craig Kimbrel
  • Jerry Reinsdorf, Justin Ishbia Reach Agreement For Ishbia To Obtain Future Majority Stake In White Sox
  • White Sox To Promote Kyle Teel
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2024-25 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2024-25 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2025
    • Free Agent Contest Leaderboard
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Mariners Release Justus Sheffield

By Anthony Franco | April 27, 2023 at 7:47pm CDT

The Mariners are releasing left-hander Justus Sheffield from Triple-A Tacoma, tweets Rainiers’ director of media relations Paul Braverman. The southpaw had already been taken off the 40-man roster over the offseason but had remained in the system after going unclaimed on outright waivers.

Sheffield had been hit very hard through his first 10 outings in Tacoma. He’s allowed 17 runs over 8 1/3 innings, walking 11 batters with only four strikeouts. Given that production, he surely wasn’t on the radar for an imminent look at the MLB level. Seattle will instead officially part ways with the 26-year-old hurler, a disappointing conclusion to a four-plus year tenure in the organization.

The M’s first acquired Sheffield from the Yankees in the James Paxton trade over the 2018-19 offseason. One of the game’s top pitching prospects at the time of the deal, Sheffield was regarded by many prospect evaluators as a potential mid-rotation starter. He was the headlining piece of the trade return, though righty Erik Swanson wound up outperforming him after moving to the bullpen.

Sheffield struggled in a brief look in 2019 but flashed some of that promise during the shortened 2020 campaign. Sheffield had a 3.58 ERA through 10 starts that year, inducing ground balls at a quality 50.6% clip. Over the past two seasons, though, the former first round draftee has allowed over six earned runs per nine innings at the MLB level. His ERA was pushing 7.00 over 24 starts in Triple-A last season.

That led to him clearing waivers in January, preceding his immense struggles through this season’s first month. He’ll hit the open market in search of a new landing spot, which would assuredly be via minor league contract.

Share 0 Retweet 21 Send via email0

Seattle Mariners Transactions Justus Sheffield

Kenta Maeda Diagnosed With Muscle Strain In Forearm/Elbow Area
Main
Yankees Notes: Judge, Trivino, Loaisiga
View Comments (70)
Post a Comment

70 Comments

  1. Damakibe

    2 years ago

    KC should be stockpiling potential talent like Sheffield.

    4
    Reply
    • RyanD44

      2 years ago

      Or they could just stockpile real talent like good teams do. Look at the Rays and Guardians – similar markets, consistently good product.

      15
      Reply
      • MotorCityJack

        2 years ago

        Unlike bottom of the barrel Detroit. Never ending rebuild city.

        2
        Reply
    • Murphy NFLD

      2 years ago

      He should try KBO or NPB and get some confidence back. Theres a limit on foreign player of 3 i believe but maybe he could try to get on the same team as Bauer, that team should have a good run this year and Bauer could help him with his pitching game

      3
      Reply
      • SweetBabyRayKingsThickThighs

        2 years ago

        Bauer will get deported as soon as he gets too rough donkeypunching a woman over there.

        5
        Reply
        • commentsopen

          2 years ago

          Hahahahaha donkey punching, man that was the funniest comment of the day

          Reply
  2. Stevil

    2 years ago

    “…He’ll hit the open market in search of a new landing spot, which would assuredly be via minor league contract.”

    Or the A’s.

    7
    Reply
    • angryyankeesfan1

      2 years ago

      So a minor league contract

      18
      Reply
      • Ducey

        2 years ago

        And minor league team

        Reply
        • myaccount2

          2 years ago

          Yes, Ducey, that was the joke

          2
          Reply
    • Pads Fans

      2 years ago

      Who are a minor league team

      Reply
  3. notagain27

    2 years ago

    Tampa will sign him, teach him the sweeper, and he’ll win the CY Young in 2025.

    15
    Reply
    • cardsfanboy

      2 years ago

      He said sweeper!!!!!

      1
      Reply
    • ayrbhoy

      2 years ago

      If any Org can show a Pitcher “the sweeper” its Seattle! They turned around the career of Paul Sewald and always seem to find guys like Penn Murfee- his sweeper has hitters checking their bats for holes cut out on the barrel! MLB is like the PGA Tour in that so few players can actually stay at the top

      Reply
  4. Mi Casas es tu Casas

    2 years ago

    Just another example of an overhyped prospect flaming out

    5
    Reply
    • utah cornelius

      2 years ago

      Yes. That’s baseball. Tons of top prospects fizzle or flame out.

      7
      Reply
      • Pads Fans

        2 years ago

        MOST top prospects fizzle or flame out. Only 20% of top 100 prospects become major league average over their careers.

        Reply
    • CKinSTL

      2 years ago

      Was he ever significantly hyped? I don’t recall him ever being a Top 100 league prospects but just a Top 30 organization prospect.

      You look at the amount of hype a prospect gets and the sheer number of prospects that get hyped – mathematically, a huge percentage have to fall below expectations.

      Reply
      • Pads Fans

        2 years ago

        He was top 50 for MLB and top 25 for BA.

        Major League Baseball
        Pre-2017 #79
        Pre-2018 #48
        Pre-2019 #43

        Baseball America
        Pre-2016 #81
        Pre-2017 #91
        Pre-2018 #41
        Pre-2019 #27

        2
        Reply
      • Mattimeo09

        2 years ago

        In 2018 he was the Yankees #3 & #48 overall according to MLB.com. He was ahead of no-name pitching prospects like Max Fried, Corbin Burnes & Jesus Luzardo. Not in that order

        2
        Reply
  5. Michael Chaney

    2 years ago

    It’s crazy that Cleveland traded Sheffield and Clint Frazier to get Andrew Miller, and JP Feyereisen still might have been the best player they gave up in that trade. Just another example of how unpredictable prospects are

    22
    Reply
    • jdgoat

      2 years ago

      JP Feyereisen was with Cleveland? And then New York? Before Milwaukee? Down a rabbit hole I go

      5
      Reply
  6. Fred Park

    2 years ago

    No surprise here.
    Justus just never lived up to his early promise.

    Some players, pitch or position either one, do pan out and some just never do live up to our expectations. I had high hopes for Justus and raved about him back when we had the comments section on Shannon Drayer’s articles..

    This new guy Jose Caballero, for example, seems to be already panning out.
    Hard to explain. Maybe I jinxed Justus Sheffield; that has occurred to me.
    But I don’t want to jinx “the ccowboy” Caballero so I won’t rave too much.

    1
    Reply
  7. tbone0816

    2 years ago

    Come to the Cardinals!!

    2
    Reply
  8. Jizmean

    2 years ago

    The Yankees have the most overrated prospects I don’t know how Cashman keeps fooling people

    12
    Reply
    • Joe says...

      2 years ago

      He only passed through the Yankees system. He was an Indians prospect to begin with.

      6
      Reply
      • jopeness

        2 years ago

        @joe, its an endless cycle of people throwing shade just to do it, moreso without facts or a moderate baseball IQ.

        Reply
    • slydevil

      2 years ago

      I remember Yankees fans saying they should have got more for such a super star. Others that he shouldn’t be traded at all. Everything Yankees is overhyped.

      8
      Reply
      • SalaryCapMyth

        2 years ago

        @slydevil. You are being stupid if you don’t think every team has fans that say things like that about their young talent.

        7
        Reply
      • jopeness

        2 years ago

        @sly, do you say that about the Cowboys or Lakers/Celtics?
        it is a combination of historical success (lakers/celtics) and a large media and fan base(cowboys). I mean, imagine the audacity of the Yankees self appointing themselves “America’s team’.

        Real baseball and Yankee fans would be first out to say they haven’t been comfortable with the Yankee roster building over the past decade. But why fault fans of teams wanting to see their young players succeed?

        Reply
    • utah cornelius

      2 years ago

      Yes. You’re right. The ONLY top prospects that fail are NYY prospects. Got any stock tips?

      5
      Reply
      • jopeness

        2 years ago

        do the opposite of Jim Cramer 🙂

        4
        Reply
    • jopeness

      2 years ago

      @jizmean, yeah almost as bad as someone having an opinion based on incorrect information

      Reply
  9. fre5hwind

    2 years ago

    Has potential to be ok.

    Reply
  10. Ignorant Son-of-a-b

    2 years ago

    Well the Mariners still have Teoscar Hernandez on the roster from that entire mess. So in effect, it was Paxton for Teoscar….but we weren’t able to enjoy any fruits of that trade until now. Money in the bank?? I guess that’s how you have to look at it when you trade stars for prospects.

    5
    Reply
    • myaccount2

      2 years ago

      I don’t know about you but I enjoyed the Swanson part of that trade last season.

      Reply
  11. SkippyN

    2 years ago

    My lasting memory of Justus Sheffield will be when I had great seats looking down the left field line at T-Mobile and got to see Giancarlo Stanton hit a 300 mph line drive homer that probably dented the left field bleacher facade. It was seriously impressive even against my team.

    But that was Justus in a nutshell, he threw hard but when he missed his spots (which was most of the time) he missed in the middle of the zone.

    5
    Reply
  12. Ignorant Son-of-a-b

    2 years ago

    Hey Mariners offense, you just wasted a complete game from George Kirby, wake the hell up. It’s 2022 all over again. Which was 2021 all over again.

    6
    Reply
    • SODOMOJO

      2 years ago

      Today was rough. I thought for sure when they pulled Strahm so early that it would be the deciding factor in the game and we would get to their bullpen. Cudos to Thomson for playing that perfectly. JP looks fantastic, Jarred’s at bats were fine this series, everybody else is not in sync.

      1
      Reply
  13. baseballandbrews

    2 years ago

    And just to think, Cleveland passed on Jack Flaherty…. Prospects so unpredictable

    1
    Reply
  14. vikingbluejay67

    2 years ago

    Yankee prospects are always overrated

    3
    Reply
    • utah cornelius

      2 years ago

      Yup. Only the top NYY prospects fail. All the others become generatioanl talents.

      3
      Reply
    • pinstripes17

      2 years ago

      Surely, only NYY prospects don’t make it big. No other teams have any misses at all!

      3
      Reply
      • myaccount2

        2 years ago

        I don’t see anywhere that vikingbluejay said *only* Yankees prospects fail, but for some reason “both” of you oddly jumped to the same reach of a conclusion.

        2
        Reply
        • jopeness

          2 years ago

          @myacct, its because it was the 3rd or 4th reply saying the same thing and a constant generalization written for anything Yankees. It’s just like the unoriginal people still posting about ‘How Clint Frazier and Andujar couldn’t get Trout or any top player’ in a trade.

          Reply
        • myaccount2

          2 years ago

          It’s a generalization because a large number of Yankees fans are extremely vocal about their prospects and a large number also suggest absurd trade offers. I don’t have anything against the Yankees or their fans, but I haven’t seen half as many trade suggestions for a single player as I have for Frazier, Andujar, or Florial.

          Anyone jumping to conclusions based on this statement is just projecting.

          2
          Reply
        • jopeness

          2 years ago

          @myacct, I totally agree with the absurd video game like trades and it certainly has truth to some degree. I also facepalm when I see those. But on the opposite, the people who go out of there way to continue beating this poor horse on any yankee related news is also non value adding. Not implying you are, just in general.

          Reply
        • myaccount2

          2 years ago

          Jope- I won’t disagree with that, that’s a fair assessment of the situation.

          Reply
  15. LFGMets (Metsin7)

    2 years ago

    Yankee fans told me that he was the next Pedro Martinez. Greg Bird, Refsnyder, Deivi Garcia, Estevan Florial, Clint Frazier, Dustin Fowler. Other than Judge the Yankees can’t develop MLB level talent

    4
    Reply
    • utah cornelius

      2 years ago

      Yes. Only Yankees fans speak highly of their prospects.

      4
      Reply
      • User 3180623956

        2 years ago

        Utah- where did they say only yankees fans speak highly of their prospects? Oh, that’s right, they didn’t. yankees fans do seem to overhype, and be more vocal about, their prospects than most fans.

        3
        Reply
        • jopeness

          2 years ago

          @grn, New York is a very competitive society and city, so it bleeds through in the fanbase. Also wanting to see young kids succeed and do well, perhaps more vocally, shouldn’t be misinterpreted as overhyped. Now I will give credence to the fact some fans hype without rational or logic, but I think you can find them for any team.

          Reply
        • User 3180623956

          2 years ago

          @jope- well, I did say “seem to”… I agree that you can find them for most any team, but Utah was calling out LFG for saying only Yankees fans do it, which LFG clearly didn’t say.

          1
          Reply
      • kje76

        2 years ago

        Hyping your prospects is a natural thing for fans to do. It’s the promise of the future. Yankee fans tend to be louder and/or more forceful than fans of other teams, which makes their hype stand out. Same thing applies for several Northeast teams, including the Sox, Mets, and Phils.

        Reply
        • User 3180623956

          2 years ago

          I’m a lifelong, diehard fan that always looked at prospects as just that, prospects and until they came up and proved themselves I could care less about what they did in the minors. Sure they’re fun to watch but not worth it, for me, to get invested in them before they make to the bigs. Too each their own, but if you’re going to be loud and obnoxious about your prospects you better be ready to get called out for it.

          1
          Reply
  16. SODOMOJO

    2 years ago

    He’s consistently gotten worse every year. His stuff at one point was deemed to be average to above average; but it’s been a vertical nosedive for him since that nice run in 2020.

    3
    Reply
    • acoss13

      2 years ago

      Someone will kick the tires and pick him up. For his sake, he’d probably be doing himself a favor if signed with Tampa or Cleveland, might as well get a full makeover from two teams that can rebuild pitchers.

      2
      Reply
    • acoss13

      2 years ago

      Looked really good in 2020, looked like he had blossomed into the big hype prospect he was meant to be but then just cratered.

      Reply
  17. Bright Side

    2 years ago

    Poor pitch efficiency killed him in AAA. Took 100 pitches to get to the 5th inning. Never could finish off batters. At least he got the Yankees one good year of James Paxton.

    Reply
  18. ctbronx7

    2 years ago

    Memo to Brian Cashman:

    Pick him up, he will cost you nothing.

    Remember when he was once one of the jewels of your farm system. Send him to Tampa and have the organizational coaches be patient. You can fix him.

    Reply
  19. ctbronx7

    2 years ago

    While matriculating up the Yankees system at (then) Trenton, Sheffield pitched like a future mainstay.

    Reply
  20. Silas

    2 years ago

    See you on Social, Justus.

    Reply
  21. Michael Macaulay-Birks

    2 years ago

    I’m a Red Sox fan, and I will admit that we sometimes hug or prospects a little too tightly

    1
    Reply
  22. sergefunction

    2 years ago

    Yes, trading for even the top prospects is always unpredictable.

    This brings to mind the expected predictability of trading a ton load of prospects for established generational, elite talent.

    Like Juan Soto, who apparently left his elitivity in DC. It seems fitting to make up a word for the mind-boggling failure that his trade has become.

    Reply
  23. Pads Fans

    2 years ago

    Remember when he was the untouchable guy in trade for NYY fans on here?

    Reply
  24. blackoutlawhandsomebradyjr

    2 years ago

    The A’s’ ERA is 7.72.Sheffield would likely IMPROVE their staff .

    Reply
  25. blackoutlawhandsomebradyjr

    2 years ago

    What’s funny about partner abuse,commentsopen ?

    Reply
  26. blackoutlawhandsomebradyjr

    2 years ago

    “Elitivity?” Never heard THAT word before .

    Reply
  27. blackoutlawhandsomebradyjr

    2 years ago

    How fast was Sheffield’s heater at its swiftest ?

    Reply
  28. blackoutlawhandsomebradyjr

    2 years ago

    Speaking of Clint Frazier,he too was released last week .

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    Angels Acquire LaMonte Wade Jr.

    Braves Designate Craig Kimbrel For Assignment

    Corbin Burnes To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Braves Select Craig Kimbrel

    Jerry Reinsdorf, Justin Ishbia Reach Agreement For Ishbia To Obtain Future Majority Stake In White Sox

    White Sox To Promote Kyle Teel

    Sign Up For Trade Rumors Front Office Now And Lock In Savings!

    Pablo Lopez To Miss Multiple Months With Teres Major Strain

    MLB To Propose Automatic Ball-Strike Challenge System For 2026

    Giants Designate LaMonte Wade Jr., Sign Dominic Smith

    Reds Sign Wade Miley, Place Hunter Greene On Injured List

    Padres Interested In Jarren Duran

    Royals Promote Jac Caglianone

    Mariners Promote Cole Young, Activate Bryce Miller

    2025-26 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings: May Edition

    Evan Phillips To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    AJ Smith-Shawver Diagnosed With Torn UCL

    Reds Trade Alexis Díaz To Dodgers

    Rockies Sign Orlando Arcia

    Ronel Blanco To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

    Recent

    Angels Acquire LaMonte Wade Jr.

    Blue Jays Recall Spencer Turnbull For Season Debut

    Orioles Notes: Westburg, Mullins, O’Neill

    Tigers Notes: Vierling, Olson, Urquidy, Boyd

    Twins Place Zebby Matthews On 15-Day IL, Reinstate Danny Coulombe

    Yankees Claim CJ Alexander

    Phillies Claim Ryan Cusick, Designate Kyle Tyler

    Brewers Claim Drew Avans

    White Sox Sign Tyler Alexander, Place Jared Shuster On 15-Day IL

    Orioles Designate Matt Bowman For Assignment

    ad: 300x250_5_side_mlb

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • 2024-25 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
    • Nolan Arenado Rumors
    • Dylan Cease Rumors
    • Luis Robert Rumors
    • Marcus Stroman Rumors

     

    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • 2024-25 Offseason Outlook Series
    • 2025 Arbitration Projections
    • 2024-25 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version