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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Dodgers are closing in on a one-year agreement with free agent starting pitcher James Paxton on Monday night, sources told ESPN, confirming multiple reports. Paxton’s deal, which is still pending the completion of a physical exam, would pay him about $11 million in guaranteed money, a source familiar with the negotiations said.
A 35-year-old left-hander with a checkered injury history, Paxton made only six starts from 2020 to 2022 after undergoing a procedure to repair a herniated disc and remove a cyst from his back, as well as Tommy John surgery. Paxton returned in May 2023, nearly 25 months after his elbow surgery, and ultimately went 7-5 with a 4.50 ERA in 19 starts for the Boston Red Sox, striking out 101 batters and issuing 33 walks in 96 innings.
Paxton posted a 2.73 ERA in 10 starts in the first half but struggled through a 6.98 ERA in nine starts during the second half, which saw him miss almost the entirety of September with knee inflammation.
Paxton would join a star-studded Dodgers rotation that was largely re-made over the offseason: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller, with the likes of Emmet Sheehan, Michael Grove and Gavin Stone also waiting in the wings. Dustin May, coming back from flexor tendon surgery, is also expected to be an option during the season.
The Dodgers have spent about $1.07 billion this offseason on free agents Shohei Ohtani, Yamamoto, Teoscar Hernandez, Jason Heyward and Paxton, though almost all of Ohtani’s deal is deferred. They also acquired Glasnow — along with outfielder Manuel Margot — in a trade and subsequently signed him to a five-year, $136.6 million extension.
The Dodgers’ depth is enviable, but the question marks in their rotation are nonetheless pronounced. Buehler is returning from his second Tommy John surgery and will undoubtedly navigate the 2024 season with innings restrictions, while Glasnow will probably be closely monitored coming off Tommy John surgery in 2022.
Yamamoto, meanwhile, is coming from Japan, where he became accustomed to pitching in a six-man rotation. While the Dodgers probably won’t deploy six full-time starters, their added depth can allow Yamamoto the flexibility to make starts on five days’ rest in spans when there are no off days.
The Dodgers haven’t publicly closed the door on a return for Clayton Kershaw, but he underwent offseason shoulder surgery and wouldn’t be an option until perhaps August. Ohtani won’t be ready to pitch until 2025.
Hailing from British Columbia, Paxton was considerably durable and effective while with the Seattle Mariners and the New York Yankees from 2017 to 2019, compiling 81 starts, posting a 3.54 ERA and striking out 11.1 batters per nine innings.