[ad_1]
After two years with the Yankees, James Paxton returns to the Mariners for 2021. (Getty)
So Jerry Dipoto was not done. While the announcement won’t come until next week as the deal is pending a physical, the Mariners and James Paxton are in agreement on a one-year contract with a base of $ 8.5 million and bonuses that could bring it to $ 10 million. After two years with the Yankees, the Big Maple is back.
Sailors reunited with left-handed pitcher James Paxton for one-year contract
Better late than never. Paxton had been on the Mariners’ radar since the start of the offseason. In late November, the 32-year-old from Ladner, B.C. threw an enclosure at ATI Physical Therapy in Bellevue in front of representatives from nearly every MLB team. Among the group: Jerry Dipoto, Deputy Managing Director Justin Hollander and Director Scott Servais. The session went well and served its purpose with a number of teams showing interest.
Unsure of their chances of landing the southpaw, the Mariners have kept in regular contact with Paxton’s agent Scott Boras following the pitching session with the deal reached in recent days.
With the Yankees, Paxton pitched well when he was in good health. In 2019, he put together an ERA of 3.82 while going 15-6 with 186 strikeouts in 150 2/3 innings pitched. However, 2020 got off to a disturbing start with the new surprise in early February that he would miss three to four months after undergoing surgery to repair a herniated lumbar disc. Paxton only made five starts after returning in July before being stopped with flexor strain in his left elbow. By all accounts, injuries are behind him with positive reports coming out of the pitching session at ATI.
It should be noted that Paxton has been with ATI since 2017. Knowledge of the organization and the region played a role in signing the one-year deal, which is essentially a ‘prove it’ contract. If he throws well, Paxton could benefit the Mariners in an attempted playoff run, or, like his former “Big Three” teammate Taijuan Walker last year, be traded at the deadline to a competitor.
(For now) Paxton is now returning to the Mariners to join a rotation that will include one of the players he’s been traded for, Justus Sheffield, as well as Marco Gonzales, Yusei Kikuchi and Chris Flexen.
With the Mariners on a six-man rotation, one spot remains open and all of a sudden an interesting positional battle has developed with two players finishing the season in the rotation, Justin Dunn and Nick Margevicius, who have turned each other. beaten alongside Logan Gilbert, who Dipoto said would have the chance to compete for a berth in spring training. It’s quite a different picture than it was a year ago, when young players had the opportunity to get their feet wet. This year, they will have to win it.
Paxton becomes the fourth free agent to sign a Major League deal by the Mariners this winter, joining Chris Flexen, Keynan Middleton, Kendall Graveman and Ken Giles.
Follow Mariners insider Shannon Drayer on Twitter.
Let’s take a closer look: Who is the Mariners new right-handed reliever Ken Giles?
[ad_2]
Source link