Red Sox Have Been In 'Constant Communication' To Reunite With Starting Pitcher

Boston could use an influx of talent

Scott Neville | Dec 26, 2023

Red Sox Have Been In 'Constant Communication' To Reunite With Starting Pitcher /

In this story:

Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is in the process of sifting through various starting pitchers while attempting to formulate a competitive rotation next season.

Thus far, the Red Sox have been fairly tight-lipped with the media, avoiding any mention of specific players. A few savvy reporters, however, have discovered that Boston has interest in a reunion with an overachiever from a year ago.

"There has been consistent communication with James Paxton and a reunion there is in play but not a certainty," MassLive's Chris Cotillo reported Tuesday.

The information comes on the heels of WEEI's Rob Bradford's report that the Red Sox have shown "strong interest" in bringing back Paxton.

Paxton posted a 4.50 ERA (101 ERA+) with a 101-to-33 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .250 batting average against and 1.31 WHIP in 96 innings across 19 starts last season.

It was a successful attempt to rebuild his career with Boston after injuries derailed the southpaw's previous three seasons.

The 35-year-old would be a logical candidate to fill out the bottom of the Red Sox's rotation assuming other reinforcements are coming.

Paxton was effective in his first season post-surgery and is expected to be even better in 2024 with a normal offseason and spring training. Typically, pitchers are much better two years removed from Tommy John surgery than their first season back on the mound.

The veteran hurler is far from an innings eater but his presence alongside at least one frontline starter could push Garrett Whitlock and Tanner Houck into multi-inning reliever roles -- improving the quality of the pitching staff as a whole.

More MLB: Dodgers Reportedly Showing Interest In Red Sox Free-Agent Target

Published Dec 26, 2023

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