Mariners bringing back starter James Paxton on 1-year deal
The Mariners are bringing back left-hander James Paxton, who spent the first six seasons of his big league career in Seattle, the club announced Thursday.
“It’s great to bring Pax back home to Seattle,” Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said in a release. “His character, work ethic, track record and presence make him an impact addition to our team.”
Chad Day of Sportsnet 650 was the first to report the signing late Saturday. The 32-year-old starter is reportedly returning to the Mariners for a one-year, $8.5 million deal that could reach as high as $10 million with bonuses.
Paxton was drafted by the Mariners in the fourth round in 2010 and debuted for the club late in the 2013 season. He spent several stints on the injured list during his time in Seattle, but made 20 or more starts each of his final three seasons with the club.
In 2017, he posted a 12-5 record and 2.98 ERA across 24 starts, and followed up in 2018 with a 11-6 record and 3.76 ERA across 28 starts with a career-high 208 strikeouts.
He also threw the first and second complete games of his career that season — including the most recent no-hitter in Mariners history that May.
When the Mariners opted to overhaul their roster following the 2018 season, they traded Paxton to the Yankees for pitchers Justus Sheffield and Erik Swanson and outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams.
Sheffield is now a regular in Seattle’s rotation, while Swanson made his big league debut with the Mariners in 2019 and eventually moved into a bullpen role, and Thompson-Williams has reached as high as Double-A.
With New York, Paxton posted a career-high in starts and wins in 2019, finishing 15-6 with a 3.82 ERA in 29 outings.
He underwent a lumbar discectomy last February, and ultimately pitched only five games during the shortened 2020 season before he was placed on the IL in August with a left flexor strain and eventually shut down for the season. He elected free agency in October.
This story was originally published February 13, 2021 at 9:44 PM.
