After a 1-4 start to the unofficial second half of the season, the Boston Red Sox recently lost their position as the third American League Wild Card team and are in desperate need of assistance.

A former Red Sox player, who had to rebuild his injury-plagued career in Boston a year before to leaving for the Los Angeles Dodgers over the offseason, was responsible for one of those defeats. The southpaw has unexpectedly become available, and Boston is rumored to be in the running for the deal.

The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier reported on Tuesday that “the Sox have already reached out to the Dodgers to express interest in (James) Paxton, and with good reason,” citing numerous big league sources. “The Sox aren’t the only team, after all.

The Dodgers unexpectedly designated Paxton for assignment on Monday, even though Los Angeles anticipates the return of many key starters in the upcoming weeks.

In 89 1/3 innings over 18 games this season, 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.

According to Speier, Paxton is expected to attract “a relatively robust market.” Paxton will effectively have a mini-trade deadline before the real deadline since the Dodgers will have a few days to move the left-hander before he is subject to outright waivers.
With the bullpen loaded and missing a few key players, the Red Sox might be in greater need of Paxton than ever. Until Chris Martin and Justin Slaten return, having dependable starting pitching every night will be essential, and Paxton might be the answer.

Even with the bidding war, Paxton wouldn’t be too expensive from a prospect capital perspective, and the remaining portion of his $4 million base salary, or less than $2 million, is all that is owing to him.

If the veteran returns to the team in anticipation of a postseason run, Boston may acquire a quality player before the real deadline action starts. The Red Sox could potentially add yet another talented arm to the roster, giving manager Alex Cora much-needed depth.

With the trade deadline of July 30 approaching, Boston could potentially use some bullpen support and an impact right-handed bat.