MLB Hot Stove: Red Sox Favorably Sign James Paxton For One Year Only Contract, According To Report

It’s been a pretty quiet season for Boston Red Sox so far, though they struck a pretty unique free agency deal on Tuesday night. The club have agreed to a one-year contract with a rare two-year club option with the right James Paxton, according to many reports. Boston Globe’s Alex Speier says The deal includes $10 million in security and could be worth up to $35 million.

Paxton is back! Mariners on a one-year, $8.5 million deal last season, even though his return to Seattle lasted only five games. The 33-year-old had a bleeding elbow on his first outing and required Tommy John surgery. The typical timeline of rehab surgery for Tommy John is 14-16 months these days, so Paxton could rejoin the Red Sox midway through next season.

Injuries are a common theme for Paxton, who has never started 30 times or thrown more than 160 thirds in a season. In 2019, he threw 3.82 ERAs with 186 hits in 150 2/3 rounds with Yankees, followed by a forearm problem (a precursor to Tommy John surgery) that limited him to five starts in 2020. Paxton has faced numerous arm and back problems during his his career.

When healthy, though, Paxton can be dominant. He posted a 3.60 ERA with 667 hits in 568 total plays with the Mariners and Yankees from 2016-19, and he had the whole match 16 shots and no shots to credit (in the game). confrontation started in 2018, no less). You don’t have to try too hard to dream about Paxton returning mid-season and giving Boston a big boost with his repaired elbow.

Last week the Red Sox poured ink Michael Wacha with a one year contract, worth 7 million dollars, even though they lost Eduardo Rodriguez come Many tigers top in free agency. Currently, the club’s rotation looks like this:

1. RHP Nathan Eovaldi
2. Film Festival Chris discount
3. RHP Nick Pivetta
4. RHP Tanner Houck
5. RHP Michael Wacha
6. RHP Kutter Crawford
7. RHP Connor Seabold

There is some speculation that the Red Sox could move Garrett Whitlock, their top pain reliever in 2021, into rotation in 2022, though his injury history and trouble with the left wing suggest the bullpen is where he belongs. However, there’s no harm in trying it in spring training. It’s easier to go camping as a beginner and then switch to a reliever than the other way around.

The Red Sox reach 92-70 in 2021 and advance to the ALCS as a Wild card team. The offense still exists (though looking for a second base upgrade wouldn’t be a bad idea) and the bullpen at worst is fixable. That said, the rotation is a bit sketchy with Sale one year removed from the Tommy John surgery, and Houck will probably have a workload limit next year.

Paxton could come mid-season to do an in-arm swing and if he pitches well, the Red Sox will exercise the two-year option and have him through 2024. Until Paxton arrives, the Red Sox will benefited from another return – the kind of person who started the end, someone to push Wacha into the role of swinger and protect from Sale and Houck’s workload.