Red Sox reacquire lefthander James Paxton to bolster starting pitching
Mindful of their limited rotation depth, the Red Sox made a move Friday to bolster their starting pitching in anticipation of a playoff push.
The Red Sox swung a trade with the Dodgers to bring back lefthanded starter James Paxton.
Paxton, 35, is 8-2 with a 4.43 ERA for the Dodgers this year, with a 16 percent strikeout rate and 12 percent walk rate.
In his most recent outing against the Red Sox last Sunday, Paxton impressed, touching 95-96 m.p.h. in his fifth and final inning. He struck out seven, walked four, and allowed three runs. The Dodgers nonetheless designated him for assignment Monday to clear a spot in their rotation for Clayton Kershaw.
The acquisition of Paxton could be timely, as it comes before a three-game series against the Yankees at Fenway Park. The Yankees lead the majors in OPS against righthanders (.780), while ranking 21st against lefties (.696).
Paxton, of course, is familiar to the Sox, having signed a two-year, $10 million deal with them after the 2021 season (when he was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery). He spent all of 2022 rehabbing and dealing with injuries, but made 19 starts in 2023, forging a 4.50 ERA with a 25 percent strikeout rate and 8 percent walk rate — numbers that were inflated by a rough final three starts when he was dealing with a knee injury that ultimately ended his season in early September.
This year, Paxton has been able to take his turn regularly — with 10 starts on five days of rest and seven on six or more — but his stuff had been down, with his four-seamer averaging 93 after he’d sat at 95 last year with the Sox.
In exchange for Paxton, the Sox gave up 17-year-old corner infielder Moises Bolivar, who is in his first professional season. In the Dominican Summer League, Bolivar was hitting .270/.364/.423 with 3 homers and 10 extra-base hits in 31 games, along with a 13 percent walk rate and 16 percent strikeout rate. One evaluator praised his high contact rate and ability to hit the ball with authority.
There is a full-circle element to the Sox and Dodgers making this deal. Last year, the teams were engaged in talks at the deadline about the Sox sending Paxton to Los Angeles for prospects. But they were unable to push the deal across the finish line.
Paxton talked with the Red Sox over the offseason about returning, but he ended up signing a one-year, $7 million deal with the Dodgers that included up to $6 million in bonuses. The Sox are responsible for roughly $1.4 million of his contract.
