Dodgers Fortify Rotation, Add Veteran Left-Handed Pitcher James Paxton: Report

Another huge move for L.A.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly added left-handed starter James Paxton on a one-year deal worth at least $11 million. Bob Nightengale of USA Today broke the contract news after multiple reports came out that the Dodgers were working on a deal with Paxton.

The Dodgers are adding depth to the starting rotation by signing veteran James Paxton to a one-year contract. He’ll receive a base salary of at least $11 million with incentives, per @chad_dey

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 23, 2024

This team, despite committing over $1 billion this offseason, still felt like it needed another starter at the back of the rotation. With five right-handed options already in the rotation, they also needed a lefty. Enter Paxton, 35, who can fulfill both roles for Los Angeles next year.

The Dodgers - perhaps more than any other team - show year in and year out how important it is to have a lot of pitchers. Adding Paxton gives the team six reliable starters heading into next year - Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Bobby Miller, Walker Buehler, Emmett Sheehan, and Paxton.

Injuries can happen at any time, so having Paxton already on the roster insulates the team from some injuries. It also allows the Dodgers to pick and choose when to deploy some of the younger pitchers like Nick Frasso, Gavin Stone and Landon Knack. 

The southpaw has a four-pitch repertoire with a mid-90s fastball, a knuckle curveball, a cutter, and a changeup.

Paxton threw 96 innings last year with the Boston Red Sox after he missed all of 2022 recovering from Tommy John surgery. A 10-year veteran, Paxton has a career 3.69 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 4.68 FIP.

Paxton will slot in as the No. 5 or No. 6 pitcher in a similar role that Lance Lynn served after the trade deadline. Paxton has thrown over 130 innings three times in his career and pitched a career-high 160.1 innings back in 2016.

If everything goes right for Paxton, the Dodgers could use him as a long relief option in the bullpen for the postseason. The front office has shown how much they value a swingman pitcher, a la Ryan Yarbrough, in the postseason, and Paxton could fill that need, as well.

On a one-year contract, in today's pitching market, the Dodgers got quite a deal for a back of the rotation starter. He will provide quality innings during a long season and can give length to help out of the bullpen.