Tag: gm meetings

James Paxton remains with Red Sox after exercising $4 million player option for 2023 season

James Paxton has exercised his $4 million player option for the 2023 season, the Red Sox announced earlier Wednesday afternoon.

This decision comes less than two days after the Red Sox declined Paxton’s two-year, $26 million club option for the 2023-2024 seasons. The veteran left-hander had until Thursday to decide whether he would exercise his player option, which he wound up doing, or decline it and become a free agent.

Paxton, who turned 34 on Sunday, originally signed a one-year, $6 million deal with Boston last December. At that time, the 6-foot-4, 227-pound southpaw was still recovering from the Tommy John surgery he underwent that April. As such, his contract included a uniquely-structured dual option.

The Red Sox were initially optimistic that Paxton would be able to return to action before this season’s All-Star break. But his rehab was slowed by posterior elbow soreness in early May. By August 18, though, Paxton began a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League.

Just two batters into his start against the FCL Rays at JetBlue Park, Paxton was forced to exit with left lat (latissimus dorsi muscle on the back) tightness. That was later diagnosed as a Grade 2 lat tear, which ended Paxton’s season before it really even started.

When healthy, Paxton has proven to be an effective starter at the major-league level. He posted a 3.50 ERA across 131 starts (733 innings) in his first seven seasons with the Mariners and Yankees from 2013-2019. But he has been limited to just 21 2/3 innings of work over the last three seasons and has not thrown a pitch in a big-league contest since last April.

Taking those factors into consideration, it made very little sense for the Red Sox to commit $13 million to Paxton in each of the next two seasons. They instead turned down the Boras Corp. client’s two-year club option, but were hopeful he would pick up his player option.

“We have enjoyed having him here,” chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo) at the GM meetings in Las Vegas. “We signed him with the hope that he’d be pitching postseason baseball for us at Fenway and we’d still love to see it through and see that happen.”

Paxton will now earn a modest $4 million in 2023 as he looks to re-establish his value before hitting the open market again next winter. If healthy, the native British Columbian will join a starting rotation mix in Boston that includes Chris Sale, Nick Pivetta, Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck, and Garrett Whitlock, among others.

(Picture of James Paxton: Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images)

Dustin Pedroia Intent on Playing in 2020, per Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has plans on playing in 2020, according to chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and general manager Brian O’Halloran.

Pedroia, 36, has played in just a total of nine games since the start of the 2018 season due to issues with his left knee, a result of three separate surgeries in October 2017, July 2018, and most recently, August 2019.

Prior to that latest operation, Pedroia told reporters in May that he was uncertain if he’ll ever be able to play baseball again. That occurred right before the veteran infielder took a three-month sabbatical to spend time with his family in Arizona.

Fast forward to late August in Denver, Co., where Pedroia had just undergone joint preservation procedure on his left knee in nearby Vail three weeks earlier, and the California native again voiced uncertainty, saying that, “I need to strengthen my quad and the inside part of my leg because it has been through a lot the past few years,” Pedroia said. “The doctor told me, ‘Once you get all the strength back, your knee will tell you if you can play baseball or if that’s it.”

Now, with the GM winter meetings taking place in Scottsdale, Az., Bloom and co. hope to meet up with Pedroia sometime this week.

“Every indication I’ve gotten is he’s feeling good and intending on playing, ” said Boston’s new CBO. “I know he’s working really hard to make sure he’s in as good of shape as possible.”

Pedroia lives in Chandler, Az, which is right down the road from Scottsdale. He is set to earn approximately $25.25 million over the final two years of the eight-year, $110 million contract extension he signed with the Red Sox back in July 2013.