Yankees: 3 former players who could return to the Bronx

2. Justus Sheffield

Sheffield was one of the Yankees’ top prospects before moving to Seattle in the trade that brought James Paxton to New York. It’s fair to say Cashman would like a mulligan on that transaction. Sheffield has blossomed into a quality young pitcher for the Mariners while Paxton struggled through two injury-riddled seasons in the Bronx.

It’s obvious that Sheffield is the sort of young, controllable starting pitcher that the Yankees would love to acquire. The problem is that he also is a potential building block for a Seattle team that wants to methodically build towards playoff contention.

It doesn’t mean the Mariners would turn down a massive offer from the Yankees to reacquire the young southpaw. Sheffield doesn’t profile as a true ace which means Seattle should be willing to move him if the price is right.

The real question here is whether or not the Yankees truly believe Sheffield is going to continue to pitch like a legitimate No. 2 or No. 3 starter for an extended period of time. They might not have let him go in the first place if they really bought into his ability.

Sheffield returning to the Yankees is unlikely, but he’s just the sort of pitcher they’ll look to acquire before Opening Day. It shouldn’t shock anyone if he finds his way back to the Bronx at some point in his career.