SEATTLE – The Great Maple returns to the sailors. James Paxton has agreed to sign a one-year deal with Seattle for the 2021 season in anticipation of a physique, a source told MLB.com on Saturday. The club did not confirm the agreement.
Paxton, who was drafted by and spent six seasons with Seattle between 2013-18, will earn $ 8.5 million in salary, with performance incentives that could bring his business to $ 10 million depending on the number of games it launches, a source for MLB.com Mark Feinsand said. This makes the business a big win-win for both parties in many ways.
Here’s why for Paxton: For all his rewards as a top starter, the 32-year-old has struggled with significant injuries throughout his eight-year career, including a left flexor strain last season and back surgery . last February. A one-year transaction allows him to restore his value and enter the market again out of season, with the chance to get a longer and richer business, if he can prove that he is healthy and efficient.
And for the sailors: they get a big arm with a head that can eat some much-needed halves and can reach their younger arms, which will have workload limitations and the burden of returning to a 162-game season. I also bring in a veteran who has since gained postseason experience while throwing for the Yankees, a valued veteran experience that could be huge for their young core.
The Mariners have been keeping an eye on Paxton throughout the off-season and were among 20 clubs that watched left throwing a bullpen session in Bellevue, Washington, around Thanksgiving, according to Jon Paul Morosi of MLB.com . Paxton, which averaged 92.1 mph in its fast race in 2020, down from 95.4 mph in ’19, hit 94 mph that day. He also attracted interest for this offseason from the Blue Jays and was linked with the Phillies, Cardinals and Mets.
Paxton should be ranked 2nd in the Mariners rotation, behind Marco Gonzales and ahead of Justus Sheffield, which was the precious profitability of the trade that sent Paxton Yanks in November 2018. The deal has sparked many ways. since it was CEO Jerry Dipoto’s first major transaction in what has since been labeled a “step back” out of season.
After the domino Paxton fell, Seattle split Edwin Díaz and Robinson Canó to the Mets in a blockbuster that put prospectors No. 1 Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn in perspective, who will enter the camp competing for a back-end spot. in the Seattle rotation, which the Office front said would include six jugs instead of the standard five. It is unclear whether the acquisition of Paxton will impact these plans, but most likely not.
At his best when he was healthy, Paxton was one of the best left-handed players in the American League, with a career of 3.58 ERA and 114 ERA +. Its peak came on May 8, 2018, when he threw a non-hitter for sailors against Blue Jays in his homeland in Canada.
But he never released more than 160 1/3 innings in a season or reached the 30-start plateau and was limited to 20 or fewer starts in all but three seasons, including only five in shortened campaign 2020. He was on the injured list for injuries to his knees, back, chest, elbow and latisimus dorsi dating back to ’14.
That’s why Paxton’s bullpen session in November was significant. Tiger left-hander Matthew Boyd, a Seattle native who worked with Paxton this season, recently told MLB Network Radio that “anyone who takes it will steal.”
“And he’s pumping the ball even now,” Boyd said. “She looks better than she ever did. We immersed ourselves in a few things, tearing down fast balls and understanding the direction of rotation and all that. His ball just takes off. It’s fun to catch. … Whoever receives it, receives an ace. ”
Paxton is Seattle’s second significant acquisition this week, after the club agreed on closer deals with Ken Giles on Thursday. Giles is recovering from Tommy John’s surgery he underwent in October, which will keep him at bay for the entire year 2021. But Saturday’s move is much bigger at the moment and is another sign that sailors are trying to take a step before.