James Paxton will be a member of the Red Sox in 2023.
Boston on Tuesday announced the left-hander exercised his player option worth $4 million. The Red Sox declined Paxton’s two-year, $26 million option earlier this week and were waiting on Paxton’s decision.
The Red Sox signed Paxton to a one-year, $10 million contract ahead of the 2022 Major League Baseball with the uncertainty of him pitching that season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He dealt with elbow fatigue and was shut down for a few weeks to recover. During Paxton’s first rehab assignment, he exited early and later was shut down for the remainder of 2022 with a Grade 2 lat tear.
Paxton’s last outing came April 6, 2021.
Pitching was an issue for the Red Sox in 2022 and certainly would welcome any depth they can get. Paxton has been solid at times throughout his career, but injuries have derailed him of late. If he can give Boston some sort of reliability next season, it will be a win-win for everyone.
It’s a low-risk, high-reward for the Red Sox, who now have Chris Sale, Nick Pivetta, Brayan Bello and Paxton as part of their rotation. Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck also are candidates to be starters, but we’ll know more about their roles with the team as spring training inches closer.
