Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has been traded to the New York Yankees.
No, that’s not a typo, and yes, you read that correctly, and no there has not been a new rule implemented allowing the NFL to trade with the MLB. Wilson, in Major League Baseball, was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the fourth round in 2010.
He was then acquired by the Texas Rangers in the minor league phase of the 2013 Rule 5 Draft.
Russell Wilson later participated in Rangers 2014 and 2015 spring training camps.
In 93 career minor league games between Rookie-level Tri-City (2010) and Single-A Asheville (2011) in Colorado’s system, Wilson hit .229/.354/.356 with 58R, 9 doubles, 8 triples, 5 HR, 26 RBI and 19 SB. In his last 15 games with Asheville in 2011, Wilson hit .302 with 13 R, 5 extra-base hits, 9 RBI and 5 SB.
Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said, via a released statement: “This is a unique opportunity for us to learn from an extraordinary athlete who has reached the pinnacle of his profession.”
“After talking to a number of our players, there is a genuine excitement in having Russell join us for a short time in camp. We are all looking forward to gaining insight into how he leads teammates toward a common goal, prepares on a daily basis for the rigors of his sport, and navigates the successes and failures of a season.”
Wilson will the Yankees Major League camp next month and be assigned to the Double-A Trenton roster.
Wilson led the Seahawks to the 2014 Super Bowl championship, becoming the third-youngest quarterback to lead a team to a Super Bowl victory.
A four-time Pro-Bowler, Russell Wilson has completed 1,815-of-2,834 pass attempts for 22,176 yards and 161 touchdowns. In 2017, Wilson led the NFL with 34 touchdown passes. Under his last year of collegiate eligibility, he led Wisconsin to a Rose Bowl appearance, and broke the NCAA single season record for passing efficiency.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Sound Cloud, LinkedIn and YouTube.