The Boston Red Sox are in serious need of help after losing their spot as the third American League Wild Card club and getting off to a 1-4 start in the unofficial second half of the season.
One of those losses came from a former Red Sox player who had to rebuild his injury-plagued career in Boston a year before leaving for the Los Angeles Dodgers during the offseason. Unexpectedly, the southpaw became available, and Boston is reportedly among the teams interested in landing the player.
Citing multiple big league sources, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe claimed on Tuesday that “the Sox have already reached out to the Dodgers to express interest in (James) Paxton, and with good reason.” After all, the Sox aren’t the only team.
Paxton was abruptly designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Monday, despite the fact that Los Angeles expects many important starters to return in the coming weeks.
The 35-year-old is 8-2 with a 4.43 ERA, 64 to 48 strikeout to walk ratio,.246 batting average against, and 1.46 WHIP in 89 1/3 innings across 18 games this season.
Speier predicts that Paxton will draw “a relatively robust market.” The Dodgers will have a few days to deal the left-hander before he is exposed to outright waivers, so Paxton will essentially have a mini-trade deadline prior to the actual deadline.
In light of the Red Sox’s full bullpen and the absence of several important players, Paxton may be more needed than ever. Having solid beginning pitching every night will be crucial until Chris Martin and Justin Slaten return, and Paxton could be the solution.
Paxton wouldn’t be overly expensive from a prospect capital standpoint even in the event of a bidding war, and he would just be owed the final $2 million of his $4 million basic contract.
Before the true deadline action begins, Boston might get a great player if the veteran rejoins the organisation in hopes of making a postseason push. The Red Sox might bring in yet another exceptional arm, providing manager Alex Cora with much-needed depth in the lineup.
Boston may need a right-handed hitter with some impact and bullpen support as the July 30 trade deadline draws near.
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