James Paxton is back with the Yankees after two seasons with the Yankees. (Getty)
With the signing of the Mariners by James Paxton’s official, general manager Jerry Dipoto could almost close the door on the off-season.
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The official announcement of the addition of Ken Giles in Seattle is the only thing that still stands out as the Mariners begin spring training, and a better picture of Dipoto’s off-season – which at first glance seemed deceptively quiet – comes in focus when he did the Paxton signing with the media Thursday afternoon.
Dipoto was clear in his off-season goals from day one.
He wanted to add multiple arms to the bullpen. Cheque. He wanted to add an appetizer, and did so with the signature of Chris Flexen. After that, he said he does not mind adding another one if things work right, or as it turns out, do not work quite right. Missing this picture? Dipoto’s goal to add a left-handed bat.
‘We were fully committed to pursuing the right addition to our range. We just fell short around every turn, ”he admitted. “We had a series of targets that we thought fit best, and we tried to achieve that. In all these cases, we have offered multi-year contracts that seem to fit not only for 2021 but also for 2022 and possibly beyond. ”
Dipoto was looking for a free agent who hit left-handed to balance the series. Ideally, the player can play the left field or second base. There were two that the Mariners were particularly excited about and a third player that would have worked. The team was linked with Kolten Wong and Tommy La Stella, among others, this winter, but they signed elsewhere. In the end, it might not be bad.
“We were aggressive in that market; we just did not succeed in bringing in the offensive piece we wanted to add, ”Dipoto said. “After realizing that the best was right for us, we became interested in what the biggest impact was.”
Although they kept in touch with Paxton and his team during the off-season, they were not the only ones. A strong bullpen session that took place in November got teams interested and Paxton in the category dared to dream of the Mariners.
“We did not really think it would be very likely that we would be able to achieve a top crawler of the best impact,” Dipoto said. ‘James threw the ball so well in November. I think they saw the same thing we saw. ”
There was, of course, the notoriety, a factor that pushed each side closer to an agreement.
“Returning to Seattle was the best long-term decision for me to look forward to in my career and what I want to do,” Paxton said. ‘I want to return to myself this year. I really struggled to get back from the back surgery (in 2020). I feel comfortable here in Seattle, I love the group here and I’m excited to be a part of it. ”
If the pass turns out to be in a young team, Dipoto thinks, Paxton could benefit the Mariners in more ways than one.
“Adding James to the pitching we have internally gives us an excellent opportunity to develop our young guys while competing to the best of our ability,” he said.
If we are two years older and return to the baseball’s biggest stage in New York with a very different experience in Seattle, Paxton can also take on a leadership role.
“Working in the post-season was fantastic, a great experience for me and something I can share here with the guys,” he said. ‘Just that pressure, extra pressure you have in New York, by having the experience, to be able to talk to guys about this and tell them the things I learned through the experience, I think it will be very beneficial for us as be a group. ”
While Dipoto could not land in a left-handed bat he wanted, he did add a left-hander who could have a big impact in Paxton. The rotation is close to fixing and the setup will shake itself out, and this will be done with familiar faces as the outside door is almost closed.
Almost.
“We go with what we have in the house (for the left-handed bat) and stay open to other opportunities that the yard staff offers,” Dipoto said. ‘This is an area where the more depth you can put together, the better. Keep stacking it. We need all the pitches, just like all the other clubs. ”
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