James Paxton is returning to the future after two years with the Yankees, one very good and the other destroyed by more injuries.
Big Maple spent his first six seasons in the big league with the 2013-18 Seattle Mariners, and that’s where the powerful southpaw is coming back. According to several reports, Paxton signed a $ 8.5 million one-year contract with Seattle on Saturday night.
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Western Canada would have attracted interest from Toronto Blue Jays and Mets before opting for Seattle.
Paxton, 32, probably would have closed a deal for more years and a lot more money if his health hadn’t been a concern. Just last year, Paxton underwent back surgery in February (a week before the start of spring training), so after being ready to launch just as the shortened pandemic season started in late July, he suffered a left flexor strain at the end of the season his fifth start.
That’s not how Paxton, who has been on the injury list 10 times in eight MLB seasons, wanted to reach the free agent market for the first time.
While there have been reports throughout the off-season that Paxton is totally healthy and looking great – one from left-handed Matthew Boyd of Tigers last week – there would be no big offer from anyone.
As in the case of the Yankees, Paxton pitched like an ace at times during his time in Seattle. Its highs included a 12-5 season with an ERA of 2.98 in 2017 and an 11-6 season with 208 eliminations in 160.1 innings plus one without hitting in 2018.
With Seattle looking to reduce payroll after the 18 season, Paxton was negotiated with the Yankees by three candidates – southpaw Justus Sheffield, powerful Erik Swanson and outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams.
Paxton set a winning career record and started shooting for the Yankees in 2019, going 15-6 with an ERA of 3.82 and 186 eliminations in 150 2/3 entries in 29 matches. He was only 5-6 with an ERA of 4.72 in July, but finished 10-0 with an ERA of 2.51 in his last 11 games.
Last year, Paxton allowed three runs in an entry on his first start on July 25, a road loss to the Washington Nationals, and he wasn’t much better before suffering his flexor problem, ending with an ERA of 6, 64 with 17 races allowed, 15 won, more than 20 1/3 innings.
But Paxton is having another fresh start this year in his former stronghold, and a good season with no health problems could lead to a big payoff next winter.
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