Dodgers draft veteran left-hander James Paxton Regarding allocation, Reports Robert Murray of FanSided The team has yet to officially announce the move.
The 35-year-old Paxton signed a complicated one-year deal with the Dodgers that includes a $3 million signing-on bonus, $4 million annual salary, a $2 million roster bonus for being on the opening roster and $600,000 and $1 million in recurring bonuses for starting games. Paxton has started 18 games this season, the final milestone he needed to max out his contract. He will receive the full $13 million in his contract, but it seems likely he will finish the season with another team anyway.
This will come as a surprise to some: Paxton boasts a respectable 4.43 ERA and is the Dodgers’ healthiest starting pitcher despite recent injury troubles. Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone His 18 starts are the most on the team, but he averages less than five innings per start, ranking him well below both right-handers in total innings.
Paxton’s ERA also betrays some less encouraging numbers. His strikeout rate of 16.4% is nearly six percentage points lower than the league average of 22.3%, while his walk rate of 12.3% is well above the average of 8.2%. His average exit velocity is a career-best 90.8 mph, and his hard-hit rate of 43.3% is the second-worst of his major league career, but he still benefits from a career-low average walk rate of .267. Paxton has been particularly tough on hitters of late, posting a 6.03 ERA in 37 1/3 innings (eight starts) since June 5. Extend that endpoint to mid-May and Paxton has a 5.82 ERA in his past 11 starts, averaging fewer than 4 2/3 innings per game.
The Dodgers are with Glasnow Clayton Kershaw He will return to the starting rotation this week. Glasnow has been out since July 9 with back tightness and will end up on the 15-day disabled list. Kershaw is still recovering from shoulder surgery last November and has not pitched yet this season. Gavin Stone, Landon Knack and Justin Wroblewski He has been listed as a possible starter under manager Dave Roberts, but the Dodgers are also rumored to be looking to promote a promising pitching prospect. Ryan River The additions of both Ryan and Kershaw will give the Dodgers an opening on the 40-man roster, but Paxton’s DFA likely will free up one of those two spots.
Besides Kershaw and Glasnow, the Dodgers Walker Buehler and Yoshinobu Yamamoto He is expected to return from the injured list sometime next month. Right-handed pitcher Bobby Miller He was optioned off amid continued struggles, but it did give the team another option in the starting rotation, and of course, with starting pitching reportedly being one of the Dodgers’ top priorities heading into next week’s trade deadline, it would be surprising if president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman doesn’t bolster the rotation in some way.
As for Paxton, he is set to be either waived or traded within the next week. The veteran left-hander has enough tenure to decline an outright assignment and retain his full salary, so the Dodgers likely won’t try to waive him outright. It’s easy to imagine teams looking to bolster their rotation expressing interest, but at the same time, Paxton’s recent poor performance, relatively high salary, and the fact that he can’t be acquired for more than the pro-rated league minimum once waived would make it difficult for any team to make significant concessions in a trade.
