James Paxton is eyeing a return from Tommy John surgery in June or early July
New Red Sox left-hander James Paxton is working at making his return from Tommy John surgery. Paxton has started a throwing program is aiming to return to the big leagues by June or early-July, per WEEI’s Rob Bradford.
Boston signed Paxton prior to the lockout to a one-year, $10 million contract with a two-year club option. If the options are exercised they would total out to $26 million.
James Paxton’s deal will swell over time
The Paxton deal will swell over the course of time, but in order for the tall lefty to hit the maximum value of the contract, he will need to show durability and the ability to stay healthy.
“He’s going to have to show durability for it to happen. He does it with the idea that he has an evaluation of what he’s worth without throwing [the $6 million salary for 2023]. Now if he goes out and throws well and he’s durable, that evaluation [of what he’s worth] is going to go up no matter what,” said Paxton’s agent Scott Boras.
Chaim Bloom hoping Paxton provides a ‘lift’ to their rotation
Paxton will provide the Red Sox a boost in their rotation once he is healthy. The Red Sox will hope that Paxton’s results with the club will mimic his time in the Pacific Northwest. The left-handed hurler was 41-26 with a 3.42 ERA for the Mariners from 2013 to 2018, striking out 617 and walking 168 in 582 ⅓ innings.
“We’re hopeful that when he does come back, he’s going to be able to give us a lift. We’ve seen before injuries really started to impact his career, this guy was one of the better left-handed pitchers in the American League. If he gets back to that, he could provide a huge boost for us in the second half,” said Chaim Bloom.
Manager Alex Cora spoke glowingly about Paxton on Friday, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. The Red Sox have shown interest in Paxton for a while now, even dating back to when Dave Dombrowski was President of Baseball Operations. Cora alluded that Boston showed interest in Paxton prior to the Mariners trading the lefty to the Yankees back in 2018.
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