Red Sox Rumors: James Paxton reunion?, Marlins trade chatter, Teoscar Hernandez
By Eric Cole
Boston could be looking for a reunion with James Paxton
No one is confused that the Red Sox need starting pitching and one arm is not going to be enough. Boston is likely to try and convince Jordan Montgomery to sign, but the Red Sox need real rotation depth and one way they appear to be considering to accomplish that is a reunion with James Paxton.
When Paxton is on the mound, he is a tremendous asset. After posting a 2.73 ERA in the first half of 2023 for Boston, it looked like the Red Sox's patience after waiting for him to recover from Tommy John was going to be rewarded with an absolute heist of a contract. Unfortunately, Paxton cratered in the second half and missed time with a knee issue as well.
Look, Paxton is who he is at this point. The list of injuries this guy has had in his career is lengthy and there is no way he should be counted on to play a full, healthy season. He made a total of six starts from 2020-2022 and is 35 years old, so expecting him to carry the pitching staff next season would be very unwise.
That said, if he is willing to take say a one year deal with a club option for 2025 and throw some innings incentives in there, Paxton could be a nice guy to bring back especially if he can show flashes of his upside. The key thing, though, is that he can't be THE biggest starter the Red Sox sign this offseason. If that happens, 2024 could end up being just as rough as last year.