New York ? Gary Sheffield was traded from the New York Yankees to the Detroit Tigers on Friday for three pitching prospects.

The Yankees exercised Sheffield’s $13 million option last weekend to prevent him from becoming a free agent, and Sheffield said Wednesday the Yankees had asked him to provide a list of teams he wouldn’t mind being traded to. At the time, Sheffield said “middle men” on the Yankees blocked him from speaking with George Steinbrenner and said that if the owner’s health wasn’t an issue, he was confident he’d stay with the Yankees for 2007.

As part of the deal, Sheffield and the Tigers agreed to a two-year contract extension.

New York gets right-handers Humberto Sanchez, Kevin Whelan and Anthony Claggett.

The 23-year-old Sanchez was a combined 10-6 with a 2.53 earned-run average and 129 strikeouts in 123 innings with Triple-A Toledo and Double-A Erie this year. Whelan, 22, was 4-1 with a 2.67 ERA and 27 saves for Class A Lakeland. Claggett, 22, was 7-2 with an 0.91 ERA and 14 saves for Class A West Michigan.