Red Sox 'Nearing Deal' With Dodgers To Reunite With Former Frontline Starter
![Feb 15, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow talks with media at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports Feb 15, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow talks with media at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3872,h_2178,x_0,y_401/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/inside_the_red_sox/01j3qw3jr9tp5cnhb3ka.jpg)
The Boston Red Sox are less than a week away from the July 30 trade deadline as they attempt to push their chips in for a competitive postseason push.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has declared himself as a buyer and already appears to have completed his first deadline move as leader of baseball operations.
"Red Sox traded minor league infielder Moises Bolivar to Los Angeles for James Paxton," MassLive's Chris Cotillo reported Friday. "The deal is official."
Paxton 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 for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season.
Due to the Dodgers' influx of starting pitchers coming off the injured list, they shockingly designated the southpaw for assignment -- which initiated a bidding war the Red Sox won.
Paxton spent the previous two seasons in Boston, much of which was focused on rehabbing various injuries. The 35-year-old finally saw the field toward the middle of 2023, when he posted a 4.50 ERA with a 101-to-33 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .250 batting average against and a 1.31 WHIP in 96 innings across 19 starts.
The Red Sox would welcome similar production to round out their rotation and allow swingman Cooper Criswell to return to a depth role. It was wise for Breslow to buy low on an affordable yet reliable arm.
Now Breslow can go into the deadline with less desperation in that regard, which will still allow him to go out and target a more premier starter such as Detroit Tigers' Jack Flaherty or Chicago White Sox's Erick Fedde. But, it also lets Breslow put more emphasis on adding a much-need impact right-handed bat and ideally some reloading of the bullpen -- which has taken massive hits with Chris Martin and Justin Slaten on the injured list.
Paxton was a slam-dunk addition to the roster that allowed Breslow to shore up a massive hole on the roster before the trade deadline truly heats up.
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