James Paxton has been mostly overlooked thus far this winter in the Red Sox’s hunt for starting pitching depth. Though larger names like Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Shōta Imanaga, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (before he signed with the Dodgers) have been frequently linked to Boston, there hasn’t been much discussion about the Sox and Paxton getting back together. Paxton was the team’s best starter for a significant portion of the previous season.
However, it appears that a deal is being considered now. Rob Bradford of WEEI said late last week that Boston has a “strong interest” in having Paxton return. The Red Sox and Paxton have been in constant contact, according to a source who verified this on Monday, but nothing significant is happening just yet. After losing out on Yamamoto, the Sox reportedly became more aggressive in their pursuit of other free agents, and the upcoming week is predicted to be hectic for free agent starters. Now that Yamamoto, the top free agency option, has a new home, veterans like Paxton, Giolito, Marcus Stroman, and high-end free agents like Montgomery and Snell might all be available soon. Additional choices are Michael Lorenzen, Sean Manaea, and Mike Clevinger.,
After displaying bursts of brilliance in his comeback to action in 2023, Paxton is a second-tier free agency arm behind some younger pitchers who will ink longer contracts. Nevertheless, he will catch organizations off guard. Now 35, the frequently injured lefty will probably need to sign a one- to two-year contract with a team that is counting on his potential. Clubs that are interested in signing Paxton will undoubtedly hope that his 2023 season performs better in the first half than it did in the second, when he faded, partly due to a persistent knee ailment that ended a few weeks early.
Following his season debut on May 12, Paxton overcame several difficulties in his comeback from Tommy John surgery. He struck out 64 hitters in 56 innings and had a 2.73 ERA in his first 10 starts. With Paxton’s June AL Pitcher of the Month victory, manager Alex Cora openly declared that Paxton was among the top pitchers in the major leagues at the moment. Paxton’s effort was not nearly as effective in the second half.
After the All-Star break, Paxton had nine appearances and gave up a 6.98 ERA in 40 innings pitched against opposition hitters who hammered him for 32 hits, including 10 home runs. Following his 32.7% strikeout percentage against opponents in his
Due to recurrent knee injury, Paxton had to be shut down in early September. He believed that this problem, combined with the fact that he had only tossed 21 ⅔ innings in the previous three seasons, was the reason why his stuff had become less sharp in the latter part of the season.
“I believe my knee was preventing me from using a front brace. That meant that some of my direction to the plate was being taken away. In a September interview at Fenway Park, Paxton noted, “I wasn’t able to locate as well.” “I think that at the end, it was difficult to stay on top of my breaking ball. And because I couldn’t fully snap that front leg and get into the fastball, it lost some of its life.
Paxton was however happy with his performance in the first half of the season, which saw him reach his highest innings total since 2019. Despite only ranking sixth on the Red Sox, Paxton’s 96 innings pitched overall was a significant improvement in his quest to become a regular member of the rotation again.
Paxton remarked, “It felt good to get back out there and compete at a level that I thought I could for quite some time.” “I felt it was crucial to put some innings under my belt so that, come following year, I would finally have a base to come from. It was a plus for me to get close to 100 innings after playing zero the previous two years.
He then on, “I’m prepared to pitch next year.” “I have no idea where that is or what it looks like.”
After pitching for the Yankees and Mariners in the past, Paxton’s first journey into free agency will be a new experience for him. He has had two prior free agent seasons, but the circumstances were very different from this one. Due to an injury-plagued 2020 season that saw him pitch just 20 ⅓ innings due to a flexor strain in his arm, he was forced to accept a one-year, $8.5 million deal to return to Seattle, limiting his market. Less than eight months had passed after his Tommy John surgery when the Red Sox signed him to a unique one-year contract a year later, which included an option that he ultimately chose to exercise rather than take a look at free agency. Despite the increased risk of injury, Paxton is in a better position this time around.
Even though Paxton claimed that the Red Sox never asked him about an extension during the season, the fact that the two have been in constant communication since the end of the campaign points to a shared interest in a fit. Paxton stated he would be more than willing to participate in another project and expressed gratitude for the organization’s dedication to keeping him well into 2022 and the beginning of 2023.
He remarked, “I had an amazing experience here.” I had a great time with everyone—my teammates, the team, the city, the supporters, and everything else. We’ll watch and see.
“I believe this place has a bright future. You’ve seen these individuals perform a lot in September, so there’s some incredible talent emerging. I believe the Boston Red Sox have a bright future.