James Paxton’s road to recovery will continue as a member of the Boston Red Sox.
The 33-year-old from Ladner is reportedly signing a one-year deal worth $10 million, pending a physical. The news was broken on social media Tuesday night by his longtime friend Chad Dey.
The contract includes a two-year club option for the 2023 and 2024 seasons which could push the total value to $35 million. That’s key given Paxton was given a $1.5 million raise on his previous one-year deal with the Seattle Mariners, with the Red Sox hoping the hard-throwing left-handed pitcher can be an important part of their rotation once he is healthy.
The Delta Secondary graduate saw his 2021 season end just 24 pitches into his opening start against the Chicago White Sox back on April 6 with a left forearm strain that eventually led to Tommy John Surgery.
He was impressive in a pair of earlier spring training starts, striking out 17 and allowing just four hits in 8.1 innings of work. However, he was initially held back from his scheduled regular season debut.
He returned for his second stint in Seattle after an injury plagued 2020 campaign with the New York Yankees that saw him limited to just five starts and 20 innings of work due to pain in the same area of his throwing arm.
Paxton’s time with the Yankees included going 15-6 in 2019 and getting his first taste of playoff action. It included a memorable game five performance against Houston in the American League Championship Series.
The typical recovery process is 16-to-18 months meaning Paxton could be pitching for the Red Sox by next summer.
