The Boston Red Sox appear to be buyers at the MLB trade deadline after acquiring pitcher James Paxton from the Los Angeles Dodgers. And Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow's comments seem to confirm that idea.
After trading away a minor-league player for the 35-year-old lefty, Breslow indicated he may be making some more deals before the deadline on July 30.
“Breslow said he didn’t want to let the deadline pass without adding a starter and was happy to add a lefty with experience,” The Athletic Red Sox beat writer Jen McCaffrey wrote. “Said doesn’t mean they won’t add another SP but also said they’re focused on adding a righty bat and a reliever.”
What can James Paxton add to the Red Sox rotation?
James Paxton made his MLB debut 11 years ago, and since then, he has played for four different teams, including the Boston Red Sox already. After a six-year stint with the Seattle Mariners, Paxton spent two years with the New York Yankees before returning to the Mariners only to undergo Tommy John Surgery after leaving his first start back with Seattle.
As he recovered, Paxton signed with the Red Sox and continued to rehab. While he ended up missing the entire 2022 season due to injuries, he made his Boston debut in 2023; he made 19 starts with the Red Sox and had a 4.50 ERA, 4.68 FIP, 1.313 WHIP, and 101 strikeouts.
Last offseason, he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, with whom he had an 8-2 record, 4.43 ERA, and NL-leading 48 walks. Despite Paxton being healthy, somewhat of a rarity for Dodgers pitchers so far this season, the club designated him for assignment on July 22. Coincidentally, Paxton's final start for L.A. was against the Red Sox; he pitched five innings, allowing four hits, four walks, three runs, and striking out seven in a 9-6 Dodgers victory.
Whatever the Sox saw on the mound last Sunday they must have liked. Craig Breslow said that Paxton has a “proven track record on this team, this division” and that he “checked a lot of boxes” for Boston.
While the Red Sox's pitching has been a strong suit this year, the team lacked a starter-quality left-handed pitcher. Paxton, who has played for two teams in the AL East, will hopefully provide that as the Red Sox make a push toward the playoffs.
Boston is currently third in the AL East, 5.5 games behind the first-place Baltimore Orioles and 3.5 games back from the New York Yankees, who the Red Sox defeated 9-7 in their weekend series opener yesterday. As things stand now, Boston is a game back from the last Wild Card spot, which is occupied by the Kansas City Royals.
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