Red Sox Have 'Reached Out' To NL Club Regarding Reunion With Frontline Starter

Boston could use a rotation boost

Scott Neville | Jul 24, 2024

Jul 6, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher James Paxton (65) throws against the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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The Boston Red Sox recently fell out of the third American League Wild Card spot and could use some help more than ever after a 1-4 start to the unofficial second half of the season.

One of those losses came at the hands of a former Red Sox player, who rebuilt his injury-riddled career in Boston a year ago before departing for the Los Angeles Dodgers over the winter. Surprisingly, the southpaw has become available and Boston reportedly will be involved in the bidding war.

"According to multiple major league sources, the Sox have already reached out to the Dodgers to express interest in (James) Paxton, and with good reason," The Boston Globe's Alex Speier wrote Tuesday. "After all, the Sox aren’t the only team that struggles against lefties."

Paxton was shockingly designated for assignment by the Dodgers on Monday as Los Angeles expects to regain a slew of notable starters in the coming weeks.

The 35-year-old is 8-2 with a 4.43 ERA, 64-to-48 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .246 batting average against and a 1.46 WHIP in 89 1/3 innings across 18 games this season.

Speier noted that Paxton will garner "a relatively robust market." The Dodgers will have a few days to trade the left-hander before he is subject to outright waivers -- essentially creating a mini-trade deadline for Paxton ahead of the actual deadline.

The Red Sox could use Paxton more than ever, as the bullpen is both taxed and a few men down. Having reliable starting pitching each night until Chris Martin and Justin Slaten return will be pivotal and Paxton could be a solution.

Paxton would not cost too much from a prospect capital standpoint, even with the bidding war, and is only owed a prorated amount of his $4 million base salary the rest of the way -- which will be under $2 million.

Should the veteran re-join the organization for a playoff push, Boston could gain a solid addition before the deadline activity truly begins. The Red Sox could then further bolster the roster with another quality arm to give manager Alex Cora much-improved depth.

Boston could also use an impact right-handed bat and some bullpen help with the July 30 trade deadline looming.

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Published Jul 24, 2024

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu