Red Sox reportedly ‘showing strong interest’ in re-signing starting pitcher James Paxton
Paxton spent the last two seasons in Boston and made his debut with the team in 2023.
After missing out on the highly sought-after Yoshinobu Yamamoto this week, the Red Sox are reportedly pursuing a reunion with one starting pitcher.
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Boston is reportedly “showing strong interest” in re-signing free agent left-hander James Paxton, according to WEEI’s Rob Bradford.
Paxton, who the Red Sox traded for from the Seattle Mariners in 2021, started 19 games for Boston in 2023. He posted a 4.50 earned run average over 96 innings. He accumulated 101 strikeouts, good for 9.5 per nine innings, but allowed 1.7 home runs per nine, as well.
The 35-year-old southpaw went on a tear in June, however, when he won American League Pitcher of the Month. Paxton posted a 1.74 ERA and went 3-0 in five starts that month. Batters hit just .165 against him and struck out 34 times.
Paxton ended the 2023 season on the injured list when the Red Sox shut him down due to right knee inflammation. He became a free agent once the season ended.
The lefty spent the entirety of 2022 rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and was poised to return to the big leagues last summer before suffering a Grade 2 lat tear and being shut down for the year.
Injuries have defined Paxton’s tenure in Boston and have proven him unreliable. Couple that with his age, and a reunion in Boston doesn’t necessarily feel like a move the Red Sox need to make as the rest of the pitching market currently stands.
While The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier called a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers for Corbin Burnes “unlikely” on Friday, several other options remain if Boston indeed wants to revamp the front end of their starting rotation.
Free agents Shota Imanaga, Jordan Montgomery, and Blake Snell are still on the market. The Red Sox have been linked to Montgomery this offseason, notably when MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported that the team met with the pitcher’s agent this winter.
Arms such as Shane Bieber and Dylan Cease could be on the trade block and would make sense in Boston. Their respective teams would likely expect a decent haul of major league bodies and prospects in return, something the Red Sox do not lack.
While a Boston reunion with Paxton seems to be on the table, the move may not upgrade the team’s starting rotation in a way that can propel the Red Sox back into contender status.
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