Left-hander James Paxton returns to the Seattle Mariners after a second season with the New York Yankees.
Paxton and the Mariners agree on a $ 8.5 million one-year deal, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The contract contains achievable bonuses that could increase its value to $ 10 million, sources said.
Paxton (32) was 41-26 with a 3.42 ERA for the Mariners from 2013 to 2018, with 617 and 168 in 582 overs. He was traded to the Yankees in November 2018 for a top prospect, left-handed Justus Sheffield, along with fielder Dom Thompson-Williams and right-handed Erik Swanson.
The Mariners raised hopes when Paxton was traded, there could be a reunion with the native of nearby Ladner, British Columbia, in the future.
Paxton struggled in the first half of his first season in New York, rediscovering his breakaway in the second half and passing 15-6 with an ERA of 3.82. He achieved the best 10 live starting games in his career before leaving his last start of the regular season after one innings on 27 September 2019.
The Yankees said he had a tight left glute muscle, and he returned to stand 1-0 with an ERA of 3.46 in three post-season games, allowing five runs in 13 overs. But he had to undergo surgery in February 2020, when dr. Andrew Dossett in Dallas performed a microscopic lumbar discectomy to repair a herniated disc and remove a peridiscal cyst.
Paxton was able to start the season on time when the COVID-19 pandemic caused a delay until the end of July, but he only started 2-3 with a 6.64 ERA in five times. He did not crash after Aug. 20 after having a low grade in his left forearm, according to the Yankees.
The Yankees let Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka and JA Happ leave as free agents and replace them with Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon.
Paxton was a favorite during his first tournament in Seattle. His best seasons took place in 2017 and 2018, when he combined 23-11 with a 3.40 era, throwing in May 2018 the only non-hitter of his career against the Toronto Blue Jays.
According to Paxton, Marco Gonzales, Yusei Kikuchi, Sheffield and Justin Dunn will initially perform. With a third-place finish in the American League West at 27-33, Seattle earlier added free agent Chris Flexen, and agreed a $ 4.75 million contract for two years.
Seattle is expected to use a six-man rotation, which is likely to take about five starts from each pitcher in the rotation. The addition of Paxton will likely play Nick Margevicius in a big role.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.