Health issue leads to change in James Paxton’s deal with the Dodgers
The Dodgers signed James Paxton to a one-year contract last week; however, the details of his deal will change from the initial reporting.
A unknown health issue has led to a lesser guarantee in Paxton’s deal, but the issue isn’t serious enough to sack the entire agreement, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Fabian Ardaya.
Paxton initially agreed to a deal worth up to $13 million with performance and roster bonuses. The Dodgers and Paxton have agreed to reduce the total guarantee of his original deal to $7 million.
His reworked deal will pay Paxton a $2 million bonus if he is on the Dodgers’ active roster for either their opening series in Seoul, Korea against the Padres or their home opener against the Cardinals on March 28. If not, Paxton can still earn a $1 million bonus if he’s on the active roster by April 15, recouping an additional $1 million if he is on the active roster by that date and makes 20 starts, per The Athletic.
The 35-year-old lefty enjoyed a bounce-back season with the Red Sox last year. Paxton pitched a total of 96 innings over 19 starts, all coming after his team debut in May. The southpaw missed the start of the 2023 season after injuring his hamstring in spring training. In total, he posted a 7-5 record with a 4.50 ERA, 1.313 WHIP and 101 strikeouts.
Upon making his Red Sox debut, Paxton was dominant over his first 10 starts, where he posted a 2.73 ERA with 64 strikeouts over 56 innings. He then struggled in the second half after being tagged for 31 earned runs and 52 hits over 40 innings. The lefty posted a 6.98 ERA over that span.
Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisHenrique
For additional Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots, MLB and NFL content follow Beyond the Monster on Twitter @BeyondtheMnstr.
