Russell Wilson's baseball rights traded to the New York Yankees
SEATTLE -- Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has been traded...to the New York Yankees.
It's OK, 12s. His football status is unchanged -- he's still a Seattle Seahawk. It's his baseball rights that have been traded.
But you might remember Wilson also dabbled in baseball earlier in his career, and was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the fourth round of the 2010 baseball draft.
He played in the minors for two years before leaving baseball to be the starting quarterback at the University of Wisconsin. You might have heard, his football career has since taken off from there and his baseball career has been on the back burner.
In 2013, the Texas Rangers selected Wilson's rights in the AAA baseball draft and spent a day in uniform with the Rangers at spring training in Surprise, Arizona, in 2014 without appearing in a game, and made another cameo appearance at camp the following spring. An infielder, Wilson hit .229 in two seasons in the low minor leagues in Colorado's system in 2010-11.
Wednesday, he was traded to the Yankees for "future considerations" ESPN reported. ESPN reports Wilson had always wanted to play for the Yankees.
"Thank you Texas...Hello New York. Always said we’d be a Yankee Pops!" Wilson Tweeted Wednesday.
The 29-year-old Wilson is expected to be in the Yankees major league camp in March, where he will participate in pregame workouts and watch games from the Yankees dugout while in Florida. He will be assigned to the Double-A Trenton roster.
"We've admired Russell's career from afar for quite some time," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "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."
In a statement posted to Wilson's Traceme.com account, he thanked the Rangers for drafting him and giving him a chance to experience professional baseball again.
"Growing up taking grounders, hitting BP, and throwing deep post routes in football early in the mornings at 6 am with my dad and brother is where my love of sports came from and those memories stick with me every morning I wake up," Wilson wrote. "While football is my passion and my livelihood, baseball remains a huge part of where I came from and who I am today. I’ve learned so much on the baseball field that translates to my game physically and mentally playing Quarterback in the NFL. I thank the Rangers and their great fans for making me feel at home and a part of the family! While I embrace the chance to be a New York Yankee, I will forever be grateful to be a part of a world class organization like the Texas Rangers."
Mariners' rival the Oakland A's figure this is a trend and might want to do all Beast Mode.
The Associated Press contributed to this report