The Red Sox have added some depth to their rotation, acquiring lefty James Paxton from the Dodgers in exchange for minor league infielder Moises Bolivar, the teams announced Friday. Boston transferred right-hander Bryan Mata to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster. WEEI’s Rob Bradford reported yesterday that the Red Sox, who need some rotation stability and who employed Paxton from 2022-23, were expected to pursue him.
Paxton was something of a surprise DFA by the Dodgers. He’s made all 18 starts asked of him this season and posted a respectable, if unspectacular 4.43 earned run average. Those numbers closely mirror the 4.50 ERA he logged in a similar sample of 96 frames with Boston last season, but the rest of the 35-year-old’s profile doesn’t look nearly as strong.
After averaging 95.2 mph on his fastball with the Sox last season, Paxton is down to 93.2 mph in 2024. He’s seen his strikeout rate plummet from 24.6% to 16.4%, while his walk rate has soared from 8% to 12.3%. Paxton’s average exit velocity has also jumped by a mile and a half per hour, from 89.3 mph with the Sox to 90.8 mph with Los Angeles. His overall hard-hit rate has climbed in similar fashion, from 39.6% to 43.3%. He’s gotten by with a career-low .267 average on balls in play and homer-to-flyball rate that’s also notably lower than his career marks.
Whether Paxton can sustain his passable results with that lackluster array of under-the-hood numbers is far from clear, but the Sox also don’t necessarily need him to perform like an front-of-the-rotation arm. Boston’s depth behind Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, Nick Pivetta, Brayan Bello and Cooper Criswell is thin, and several of those arms (Houck, Crawford, Criswell) are either approaching or have already established new career-high workloads. Adding a stable back-end arm surely holds plenty of appeal for a team in that situation — particularly given Paxton’s affordable contract.
Paxton inked a one-year deal with $7MM guaranteed and another $6MM in attainable bonuses. However, $3MM of that guarantee came in the form of an up-front signing bonus that’s already been paid out. He’s also already unlocked all $6MM of incentives ($2MM for making the Opening Day roster and another $4MM based on his number of games started). As such, the Red Sox will only owe him the prorated portion of that $4MM base between now and season’s end (approximately $1.42MM).
That modest sum bumps Boston’s payroll to an approximate $180MM. Their luxury-tax ledger is a good bit higher, checking in at an estimated $218.1MM prior to this swap (via RosterResource). Paxton will push the Sox just shy of $220MM, leaving chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and his staff about $17MM of breathing room between their current number and the first luxury tax threshold. Breslow & Co. should have ample room to make further additions, even if ownership is reluctant to cross that first tax threshold. Boston, in addition to seeking rotation depth, has been in the market for bullpen upgrades and a right-handed bat.
For the Dodgers, the trade of Paxton, who ranks third on their team in innings pitched, clearly isn’t a sign of selling. Los Angeles is in first place in the NL West and stands as a veritable lock to make the postseason. But the Dodgers also welcomed Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw back from the injured list this week.
That pair of high-quality veterans joins a youthful trio of Gavin Stone, Justin Wrobleski and River Ryan in the rotation at the moment, but the Dodgers are also expecting Yoshinobu Yamamoto to return in August and Walker Buehler to return sometime before season’s end. Between that depth and their outspoken pursuit of an “impact” starting pitcher on the trade market (in the words of general manager Brandon Gomes), Paxton was pushed out of the mix.
In exchange for the final two-plus months of Paxton’s services, the Dodgers will receive the 17-year-old Bolivar. He signed with the Red Sox as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela just this past January, receiving a bonus of $25K. He’s not considered a high-end prospect in Boston’s system, but that sort of lottery-ticket return is to be expected for a veteran pitcher who was designated for assignment.
Bolivar, already six feet tall and listed at 175 pounds, has gotten out to a strong start in his professional debut. He’s appeared in 31 games with the Red Sox’ Rookie-level Dominican Summer League affiliate and slashed .270/.364/.423 with three homers and nearly as many walks (17) as strikeouts (21). He’s a right-handed hitter who’s played primarily third base but has also logged 26 innings across the diamond at first base.
FanSided’s Robert Murray first reported that the two sides were engaged in trade talks. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported a deal had been finalized. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic and Alex Speier of the Boston Globe added details on the Dodgers’ return.
Maple about as high top of deadline starters hope Boston looks at. Most seem to be way over priced and with Paxton, hoping nothing more than low level near nothing kid with him about at most innings thrown since 2019 and 36yo in November.
I was wondering why they would go after Paxton after he failed experiment with him. Then I remembered he is literally free as the Dodgers paid out all the bonuses in his deal already and his base salary is relatively cheap. Hopefully they just send some cash to the dodgers instead of wasting even a low A prospect on Paxton.and the 12 innings he will throw before he gets hurt again. Then again, FSG is reluctant to spend money so who knows.
FSG is reluctant to spend money
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I think FSG is reluctant to waste money. After adding Paxton’s $1.42M, the Red Sox CBT payroll will be $221.7M. This is not being cheap at all in my opinion and they are now paying Alex Cora $7.25M per season which is not cheap. I think they are trying to build from within with young players instead of older free agents who often become a wasted roster space. They Yankees have spent over $300M and they are struggling badly. So, I don’t think it is now much you spend, but how you spend it.
The CBT payroll is not what they are spending on the team. It is an artificial calculation that is specifically for the purposes of the CBT.
Their 40-man roster payroll, per Cots Contracts, comes to $179M, and that includes the $17M that they are paying Chris Sale to pitch for the Braves, as well as another $4M-$5M to guys who are no longer on the 40-man roster. Even the $179M figure is just #11 in the majors, a “mid market” tier from what most would consider a large-market team.
I agree that they are trying to spend smarter. Less certain they are achieving that yet. How much of that payroll is going to Story, Giolito, and Yoshida, contributing essentially nothing this year?
I think CBT is a good estimation of spending as it is the total of the average annual values of all contracts. Breslow will need some time to turn things around and let bad contracts expire. If they are building mainly from the farm system, spending will not matter until a young core is in place and they fill any holes through free agency. I think they are about 2 years away from having a good young core in place including Mayer, Anthony, Teel, Montgomery, etc.
The CBT calculation includes $17M for Chris Sale, $6.7M for Turner, another $4M for Turner, and another $1.5M for Sale. Some smaller payments as well, but that alone is $29M for two players who have spent the entire year with other organizations.
I understand (mostly) how the CBT figures are derived, but I don’t think it is fair to suggest that represents the talent on the roster when so much of it is for players who are NOT on the roster.
My understanding is that the CBT adjustments will be much smaller next year. Still some $760k net for Hosmer, but I’m not seeing any other adjustments at this time.
I think the Red Sox are going to ride out bad contracts like other teams. It sounds like you think the Red Sox should disregard a contract that has gone bad and spend more. I think that is an unrealistic expectation. I don’t see it happening.
Gyahaha, you are correct about the targets versus winning (look at the Yankees the past 15 years) and it is entertaining to see all of the coping fans here rationalizing how the Red Sox have shed nearly every expensive player and making excuses for JH and CB.
I’d also argue the Red Sox brand isn’t what it was 15 years ago. Baseball is dying, and the “targets not winning” and especially the Rangers-Diamondbacks snorefest World Series’ aren’t helping.
“Old Friend” Rich Hill?
No!! Please no…
Most seem to be way over priced
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I doubt the Red Sox will trade a top prospect who is affordably controlled for 6 years for a two-month rental. Teams don’t do that unless they are very close to winning a World Series.
john – I called it right after the Dodgers designated him. He did look really good for about 4 innings last Sunday, but certainly not someone you want to hang your hat on if you’re really trying to make the postseason.
Now they are probably searching for a RHB designated by some team.
The question with Paxton — do they insert him in the rotation? He is a downgrade from either Criswell or Winckowski if you look at their numbers this season. Weaker performance, weaker durability.
Or do they use him in the pen? In that role he might be an upgrade over Horn or Anderson.
A creative manager might use him as a once-a-week starter, akin to what the JPL does. Some indication that he does better on a 7-day schedule than when trying to start every fifth or sixth day, and that would also allow Houck and the rest a bit of a breather as they work through August.
tff – He’s never pitched out of the pen during his entire MLB career, not even in the postseason. Now is not the right time to experiment. And because it takes him a while to get in a groove on the mound, he’s not someone you want to bring in during a close game.
Agreed Fever. Not to mention his agent may not care much about the idea of him not getting to start with him about to become a FA again this winter and we know who that particular agent is..
Saw a post above regarding his velo drop. not so sure it’s every game, not that have seen many of his games, but at least a couple he’s sat 94-5, which isn’t much off his mostly career numbers and not like he’s going to be at 97 again, like was early days in Seattle.
The control is the issue more than anything, something don’t really remember being a big issue before. let’s put him in at #5 and let him roll.
John – Have they said how Paxton will be used? Criswell has much better numbers on the season and is coming off a brilliant performance in the most hitter-friendly park in MLB. Hopefully this trade doesn’t mean Pivetta is on the way out.
Logic would dictate moving Bello to the pen, considering he tends to start games pitching well before imploding in middle innings.
When Hendriks, Martin and Slaten return then who goes?
First time through the lineup this year, batters are tagging Bello for a .291/.371/.523 line. He has done better the second and third time through.
If everybody is healthy, you go with Jansen, Hendriks, Slaten, Martin, Kelly, Booser, Bernardino, and Winckowski. But how often is everybody healthy? I don’t think Weissert is in any real danger on the roster.
Question answered they inserted him for a dominant performance..by the Mariners offense. Maple Syrup..
Maybe with Cora extension he figured out a way that the Big Maple can use some syrup on the ball. A little more movement to soften his loss in velocity
Guess we can hope, maybe Bailey has an idea? But the Dodgers are a pretty good organization, and they were treating him with kid gloves to get mediocre results. So I’m pessimistic here.
B dog – Tonight DOB was roasting Cora for pulling Winck so quickly. He said Cora focuses too much on L/R matchups, and should instead stick with the guy who has good stuff and has already been effective. Makes sense to me.
Loomer responded by saying “If he pitches 2 innings tonight he’s not available tomorrow, Alex likes all his relievers to be available every game”. which was a totally lame response.
tff – No time for pessimism tonight after a GREAT win! My guys Devers, Yoshida and Abreu all came through in the clutch.
Even Cora did well by pulling O’Neill in favor of Abreu.
Shocked me as well Fever. DOB finally got some Tommy Hutton (marlins announcer) and boldly told it like it is.
Make a looney mistake, which cora commonly does with his pen and should get called to the carpet over it and cora is lousy with the BP.
Eckersley was good at it, but nobody else in the sox boothe since the horrible to listen to bob montgomery.
John – I totally agree. NESN guys have questioned some of Cora’s moves in the past, but not nearly as much as the national announcers.
Monty was sooooo boring, he put me to sleep.
Ptbnl or cash
Don’t you think the trade would have been already completed if it was only that?
Not if the Dodgers were hoping someone else would offer a little more.
I know nothing of the kid the Dodgers got, but any time you can turn a guy you were going to release into a 17-year-old project you gotta take it.
And the Sox will throw in Teel.
His strikeouts are down and his walks are up.
Carmine: Would a team want their pitcher to throw nine pitches before getting a K or would they rather have him throw one pitch and get a fly out or groundout? Too much is made of strikeouts on this website.
I think Paxton’s walks are a much bigger problem than his strikeouts. Outs are outs.
He’s a pitcher in decline with a long history of injuries. Red Sox need to do better than this.
He looked good against the Sox last week so why not see what you can get from him now? Cost was minimal.
He looked good against the Red Sox because he was pitching with extra rest, and because the Red Sox have very serious problems against LHP. Unfortunately for Paxton, he won’t be able to face the Red Sox lineup going forward.
tff17: Can you show any numbers that show the Red Sox struggle against LHP? I wouldn’t know where to find that, but I did read recently that they are roughly league average against LHP.
The Red Sox are hitting .256/.324/.430 overall, a .754 OPS and 106 RC+ that ranks #11 in the majors.
Against RHP they hit ..259/..324/.441, a .765 OPS and 109 wRC+ that ranks #7 in the majors.
Against LHP they hit .249/.325/.403, a .728 OPS and 100 wRC+ that ranks #15 in the majors.
So yeah, they aren’t necessarily BAD against LHP, but there is a pretty clear gap in their performances vs. LHP and vs. RHP. Moreover, if you watch the games you can see that opposing managers are stacking LHP against the Red Sox. Across the league this year, 26.8% of all PA have been against LHP. For the Red Sox that rises to 29.8% of all PA.
Finally, they are 13-18 when facing LH starters (vs. 41-29 vs. RH starters). That 13-18 is the #22 record in the majors on that split (from B-R which sorts on W%).
Think it is fair to say that they are light on RHH power? They have five guys with a .200+ ISO, all but O’Neill are LHH. Wong was having a decent season for a while, but he was/is more of a singles hitter. Same with Refsnyder. Rafaela has some power, but is young and very streaky still.
The flip side of that is their major positional weaknesses this year have been 2B and DH. And if you are going to upgrade either one, you might as well get a decent RHH to better balance the lineup.
Thanks for the info.
So yeah, they aren’t necessarily BAD against LHP, but there is a pretty clear gap in their performances vs. LHP and vs. RHP.
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The offset to that is that they face a lot more righties than lefties. In the ALE, which will become increasingly more important, all you have is Irvin, Cortes, Rodon, and Kikuchi.
I can’t calculate the number of lefty RPs, but we won’t face a lot of lefty SPs.
But like you said, we can improve a lot with a righty 2B and/or DH without a lot of sacrifice.
Grissom and Story were suppose to fill the need for RHB’s
That’s why the Grissom/Sale deal made sense.
Jmi1950 – plus six years of controllability vs one for a guy who was injured almost the entire three previous years….
It’s a valid point but go look at the strikeout leaders and it is littered with top notch pitchers. Not a coincidence
Leading the league in walks, but with the cost to acquire in the end (like nothing). Can’t really go wrong. Outside of the 7ip of solid ball Criswell just threw at Denver, he’s been pretty awful for 2m straight beforehand and nothing else SP wise left in the minors to lend a hand.
The dumpster diving boys!! #savejohnhenrys money
Remember: it’s more money for the Penguins. Hope you feel better
Carmine – I heard on the Pat McAfee show a while back that Penguin fans aren’t thrilled with FSG.
This just means more money for them to put into the PGA investment, or maybe they want to keep diversifying and add in a PWHL hockey team. Maybe they can sponsor Luke Littler in darts.
You’re correct and I’m not surprised Penguins fans aren’t into it either.
Scrooge McHenry diversifying his portfolio does nothing for Red Sox fans.
Most penguins fans have no problem with fsg. They spend to the cap so who cares.
Wait until they try to make every game day an event where they can push their agenda and squeeze extra money out of their fans. They really enjoy that.
Save the prospects. Fine with this.
lucky – I would imagine all of us with low expectations are fine with it, nobody expected the Sox to acquire a stud SP. It is what it is.
Too many young arms already hitting their peak innings in their careers. It’s been fun to watch them, but they have too many games like the last one to go all in, and too many gaps to fill. If they trade Jansen and O’Neil, I am fine with that. Who knows what happens? Look what they got for Vasquez. Maple is a veteran presence and the Sox pitching has made unexpected strides this year. I get the frustrations of others though.
I’m not crying, I’m laughing gen z moron
What is a fair return for pax.
Similar to the kike trade? In reverse
Considering his very low remaining salary, I’d guess a mid-level prospect, or possibly a current bullpen arm.
Hopefully one of the big contributors to giving up 20 runs to the woeful Rockies.
post-season (if they make it): put him in the bullpen and let him air it out for an inning?
Assuming he’s not injured by then
dasit – He has never pitched as a reliever in his entire MLB career, regular season or postseason. My understanding is he would have too much difficulty warming up, which certainly was the case last Sunday when he started so badly and then pitched great. The postseason would be kinda a bad time to experiment.
Probably not a top-20 prospect, unless it is a guy eligible for the Rule 5 who the Red Sox don’t intend to protect.
tff – What do you think of this Bolivar kid, I assume no big loss?
17 year old in the Dominican Summer League (DSL). There usually isn’t much ink on these guys unless they look like phenoms. Sox Prospects .com ranks players up to #60 and Bolivar was not on the list. Again, means little given he’s just 17. Word is that he hit in the middle of the lineup in his first year to the tune of a .787 OPS in 111 ABs. Bolivar had signed a 1-year contract for $25K.
soxprospects.com/players/bolivar-moises.htm
Little more info from Sox Prospects:
Bolivar…hit .270/.364/.423 w/10 xbh & 17 BB:21 K. Young for the class. Aggressive approach, but solid contact skills & rarely whiffs on pitches in the zone.
x.com/IanCundall/status/1816878806944059787
A green card kid.
Dollars – Thanks, I appreciate it. Good stuff!
Never heard of him. An IFA out of Venezuela who received a $25k bonus (which puts him pretty far down the IFA list). Was hitting .270/.364/.423 in the DSL but not showing any signs of dominant skills. Guess he has some talent, but he is a very long way from the majors and there’s no good reason to expect him to make it that far.
Edit: What they said.
tff – Thanks, yeah I figured it was a lottery ticket type player.
Peaceful transition.
Why? They tried this experiment already. It failed spectacularly because he can’t stay healthy.
The Dodgers are a playoff bound team with rotation issues. Why would the Red Sox, a team fighting for a playoff spot with rotation depth issues, consider this.
Get another pitcher.
Joemo: Because the Red Sox have rotation depth issues?
And James Paxton is the answer? The guy lives on the injured list. They tried this two years ago, paid for him to rehab, and then he was injured and went to the IL when they needed him in August/September.
Bloom/Breslow love acquiring passable players that cost nothing but aren’t anything great. Their goal is to stockpile prospects forever, because they cost nothing. Their goal isn’t to win and hasn’t been for years. They know Paxton will get injured and they don’t care. It’s to say they did something at the deadline.
Carmine – 100% agreed. I was excited for the deadline after the Cora extension and then they pull the same old garbage. Before the extension, I would have expected awful moves like this.
Paxton will probably have a few starts and then end up on the IL. Can’t wait! Full throttle baby!
They would sign Rick Reuschel out of retirement if Henry thought it would save a nickel.
Have a good weekend Joe
You too! Hopefully it will only get better from here
Why jump the gun? Deadlines is Tuesday. This was a little cost move for a team that now needs innings. If he can’t deliver, he gets released. Excellent first move but it will be a horrible only move should they do nothing further before the deadline.
How old is Reuschel now? You might be on to something.
Dewey – true, I just have PTSD from the last few trade deadlines and fear this is the only move to improve the SP.
But after thinking more, I think this allows the Sox to have both Winck and Criswell in long relief roles so they can eventually drop horn/Anderson and maybe add another decent RP.
If the Sox added a good SP first and then added Paxton, I would have a completely different hot take on it.
I believe this is the only move we will see to “improve” the SP. And I’m not at all confident that Paxton is a step up from Criswell, especially if you look at their last 5-10 starts.
The problem with improving the rotation is twofold. First, it is pretty strong. Their ERA ranks 8th in the majors this year, fifth once you adjust for park factors. Even over the last month they’ve been #11., which isn’t half bad. Second, they don’t have any obvious holes in the rotation. The weakest starters (by ERA-) over the last month have been Houck and Pivetta, and neither of those is coming out of the rotation!!!
Besides, Paxton has been averaging just 4.5 IP/GS over his last ten starts. That’s really bad, and he has had extra rest in almost every game this year. A rotation with Paxton in it places a lot of stress on the bullpen, which is already looking thin. We went through this last August — why revisit that experience?
Guess this could be seen as a positive, bumping a better arm to the bullpen, but most teams would prefer to keep their better arms in the rotation and push the marginal guys to the bullpen. Good reasons to operate that way.
Only way that I can see this working out is if they go to a six-man rotation over the next six weeks. Houck could use a breather, and the rest are also getting up there in innings. This would also give Paxton the recovery time between starts that he needs to be successful. Of course a six-man rotation also shortens the bullpen, placing more stress on the pen, and…
…sigh…
Joemo, let’s talk after the deadline.
Do the Sox even need Paxton?
They need SP sure, but Paxton ain’t the answer. Man, after the Cora extension I was excited for this trade deadline. But this move just shows more of the same (dumpster diving) by the Sox.
Fwiw the sox need multiple starters all thier current guys aside from pivetta are in uncharted territory
Breslow isn’t even hiding that he is just another incarnation of Chaim bloom
The only way a deal like this could be made for the Sox is if either bloom made this deal or breslow woke up and said “what would my predecessor do in this situation?”
Dombrowski wouldn’t have acquired someone this low to plug into his rotation
Sad, take a step back and look at the bigger picture… what’s the common denominator? It’s like they all need approval from someone named Henry, yeah?
Sam Kennedy is the gate keeper imo. But you are assuming this is the only move they make and not just the first
I suggest that we all know Kennedy has Henry on speed dial and even has to ask for a coffee break let alone signing off on any roster addition(s).
Henry is obsessed with the bloom (has he ever touched a dumbbell?) type philosophy at this point probably so he has an excuse to save a few bucks
The team has only spent $200MM+ on payroll. What a cheapskate!
Any team that needs pitching should take a chance on Paxton for $1.42M in my opinion. It is low risk. Why not? They can DFA him if it doesn’t work out, but it just might work out.
“lack of critical thinking” in today’s world? Certainly you jest
All in – Agree 100%. Paxton adds much needed depth to give Houck and Crawford additional rest as they are passing career highs in innings pitched. There is also no one in AAA capable of being brought up to take a spot in the rotation as Fitts is simply not ready. Even at 35 Paxton has up side with additional tweeks from Breslow and Bailey. It is a solid low cost move that will trickle down to help giving an over worked bullpen some needed rest too.
One solution might be a six man rotation to keep Houck et al innings down.
This when we see what the Sox will but I’m sure this pathetic franchise will pf what ever true fans they have left and trade
Kenley Jansen for him
Wow
He just beat the Red Sox last week, any arms will help and chances are they wont trade any top prospects to get a big name starter.
AK – Actually it was this week, Sunday. I’m not against the trade, as long as he doesn’t block someone who is more deserving or prevent them from acquiring a SP who is actually good.
Hopefully Bailey can fix some of the issues Paxton was having in LA. Would rather have gotten Taillon and getting both may be unrealistic, but you never know
Agree that Taillon would be a good pick up and a nice fit for Bos.
Between a low cost for Paxton, and Taillon not costing a ton and there being a need… still makes sense.
There’s 2 years left on Taillon’s contract and the Red Sox won’t pay it.
Oh BS. It more likely came down to what Chicago is asking for Taillon. But so many Sox fans are so hung up on what players make they can’t think straight lately.
BS? Taillon’s contract says he’s owed $18 million per season through 2026.
John Henry will not pay that and you know it. Get real.
Rsox – Can’t fix old age.
Paxton was getting hammered in the first and second inning throughout this season, his arm takes a while to warm up. Not good for someone who can’t go more than 5 very often.
Waiting to see what they gave up, but safe depth pick for the Sox… hard to imagine this is a bad deal for them. I assume the dodgers will take a non roster prospect / ptbnl or cash for it.
So far this looks like a stop- gap type of move on the cheap. Breslow’s trades have been doozies so far return wise. Got took in the S as or trade up to this point and the NY trade does not look any better even though Doogie needed to go
If Paxton is all they get, yeah, the criticisms are warranted. But I’m willing to give them a couple of days to augment the roster further. If Paxton is one of a few pieces they pick up I think he’s a perfectly sensible innings-eater acquisition who’s already familiar with the environment of Fenway and the current catching battery. You could do worse.
Exactly. This is a true no-harm-no-foul move, and we need to wait a few days to see if someone else comes on board (Flaherty? There’s a nice Irish name for Boston fans). Paxton might well end up in a multi-inning relief role, or simply, and painlessly (for the team at least) designated again if things don’t work out.
How can anyone call someone averaging less than 5 innings per start this season and “innings eater”?
Gr8 – They’ve lowered the bar so much that every pitcher has been devalued.
It’s a tangled web we weave
Daddy’s home!
I guess he’s one these guy?
milb.com/dominican-summer/roster/627
I mean this is already way better than the past several years the sox acquired someone (anyone) and havnt indicated we are selling anyone
They will trade Jansen. They’re not trying to win.
Just my 2 cents, but they’d be wise to let Jansen go in a seller’s market.
What’s the downside to that? Are you of the opinion that they are actual contenders *this year*? Yeah, they could certainly get in the playoffs and maybe magic happens, but they are looking at a bigger picture. Maybe this pick-up takes some stress off of the younger guys in the rotation. There is value in that.
Cleveland could’ve use him 🙁
That what I said the moment LAD DFAd him. CLE has a screaming need for SPs, and since they’re notoriously adverse to spending on anybody and anything, my guess is they’re laying back in hopes of all the viable candidates to be traded so they can say they tried, but weren’t one of those teams willing to overpay. We’ve all heard every version of that excuse imaginable.
Only Cleveland can be 20 games over .500 and have a seller mentality at the trade deadline.
Seattle, Oakland, and Tampa Bay have gone that way in the past.
Wtf we already had him he sux
Whats that tell you about the back end of the current rotation?
Just in time for the playoff push.
You are traded for a guy that was born after you graduated high school That is a sign that your career may be winding down.
Or… just getting old in general! Cheers hiflew
Unfortunately for me I was in high school when PAXTON was born, so I’m already there. I’m okay with it though.
I like this move if the Sox can get Tallion from Chicago and not let him get to New York or Baltimore….
I graduated from HS in 1968 and feel young.
The Yankees’ biggest need going into the deadline is bullpen.
hiflew – You think that’s old? I was in high school when MIKE PAXTON was born.
The Yankees’ rotation has a 4.87 ERA for the month of July, and a 4.50 ERA (similar to the Red Sox) over the last 14 days. They need SP at least as much as the Red Sox do.
Shocking number of people upset about an essentially free pitcher. Houck and Cutter at or past career high innings, injuries throughout the rotation – we need more than one arm, why not this one.
dirty – Let’s see if the Sox “line up” with a trade for another SP.
Red Sox Nation can’t and won’t forget what this front office has pulled in the past.
That’s exactly my thought, but the job is half done. We could really use one more or in the very least a long guy for the pen. I don’t like Anderson or Horn really
Full Throttle! Sorry someone had to say it..lol
This is a good trade. They needed an arm like this. They also need more/better arms. But they got the easy one out of the way.
The Sox need an arm that can help them in August and September. James Paxton does not stay healthy and pitch in August and September.
They 100% do. They also need an arm who can eat innings and you can’t complain about this cost.
Well you can also say the same thing about Chris Sale and I know all of us hate that Grissom deal right about now. It’s a 1.4 million dollar risk and all ya had to do was trade a no name 17 year old that didn’t even make the top 60 list in the organization in prospects. I hope they can get Tallion from the Cubs instead of the Yankees or Orioles. We will see, but this was as low risk as it gets.
Red Sox new business plan = field a team and maybe they overachieve
If not WGAF
The majority of the posters here would complain if they were walking down the street and found a $1o.00 bill lying on the sidewalk, because it wasn’t a $100.00 bill..
No it’s that the majority of Red Sox fans still care about winning and we’ve figured out the team’s owner doesn’t.
Exactly
Coop – If there was a dozen $100 bills already scooped up by others, yeah I’d complain about getting just a $10 bill.
Cooper – the majority here complained that Henry did not give Betts $400,000,000 for 10 years. It is not their money to give, but if it was, they would not have paid that either.
Why can’t teams trade draft picks for a year but can trade 17 year old signees? MLB rules make no sense at all?
It’s called “collective bargaining”. You give a little get a little. Kind of like a committee designing a horse and winding up with a camel.
A nothing trade. Hopefully the Red Sox dont do anything larger than this type of trade. With the talent on the way from the minor in the next year or two, it would be idiotic to trade away quality young talent for mid-season rentals. Changing your WS chances from 5% to 20% and throwing away top prospects makes no sense.
I think the only way top prospects get shipped out is for a top controllable arm. No top prospects are being traded for a rental.
kyredsox:
But trades for proven talent at mid-season trading deadline usually come at a premium. Red Sox arent serious contenders in 2024, so the smarter strategy would be to wait for the offseason if you want to trade for controllable arms.
Kyle, they are competing for the playoffs this year. I don’t think they will go all in this trade deadline. But if something makes sense for now and the future, I think you see some top prospects get moved. They can’t field 15 position players when these guys knocking on the door get called up.
Agreed. We now have enough depth to make some small moves.
They need to be smart moves — Like DD when he kept Bogey, Devers and Betts; traded Moncada & Margot and refused to trade away the future for Cole Hamels.
In 2015, Bogey (4.6 War) and Betts (6.1 War) were already producing when DD got here. Should we praise Cashman for not trading away Judge after Judge’s first breakout season with the Yankees?
What about not locking Betts up, while the team still had financial flexibility? What about that Extension to an injured Sale? What about Price signing? DD made plenty of good AND bad moves in Boston.
DD’s moves to win a single Championship: A+
DD’s moves to create a long-term contending team: D-
Yeah hopefully they’ll have top prospects at every position soon – then Henry will only have to pay league minimum to field a team.
Breslow needs to identify who to extend now, who to keep without extending; and who to trade while the value is there.
You mean 5% to 7% ?
Exactly, whatever number you come up with, its not worth the expenditure.
How do you decide who is the actionable team in the headline? Usually it’s the acquiring team. Like yesterday’s headline “Mariners acquire Randy Arozarena” whereas this one was noticeable because it was the team trading the guy away that was the actionable team in the headline “Dodgers trade James Paxton”.
This doesn’t push the envelope either way. I don’t think this move is worth even 1 additional win this year, but I don’t think it leads to an additional lose, either.
DBH – If it forces Criswell out of the rotation, I think it does cost them at least one loss.
Mr. Glass!
THE DODGERS JUST TRADED BACK A PITCHER WHO USE TO BE WITH US!!! oh james paxton…. hooray……
Sox still seeking a right-handed bat. Maybe they’ll pursue Kike, too?
Cora: Whee!
I would rather throw Jody Reed a mitt. No more Kike!!!!
Id bet on turner
Would rather have Cahna but Turner is my second choice for a realistic righty bat. I’d prefer Cahna in left over Refsnyder at Fenway when Duran is in center, Such allows Ref to be a pinch hitter whenever the need arises.
Hey its worth a try, didn’t give up much, basically a lottery ticket. As long as this isn’t the only move.
Now he’ll break down.
Fine move, but hopefully not the last. The current starters are all getting up there in IP so depth is gonna be huge. Nice to have a LH in the rotation as well.
I’d like to see Tallion, but as others have correctly asserted, his (reasonable!) salary is prohibitive to the current administration. I can see Yorke moving for another mid-level SP (Kikuchi, Montas, etc)
Wouldn’t mind a serviceable middle IF who can hit a little. What’s Pokey doing these days?
Good pickup if he can stay healthy. Boston is hanging in.
Knew this was coming when the Dodgers dumped Paxton. Cheap and low cost. Now I wonder if they can go get Eovaldi, who said he would like to come back as well or take a shot at Scherzer. I doubt both would cost a lot in prospects.
The Red Sox still need a more solid starter to get Pivetta back into the swingman role, where he has excelled and Criswell back as rotation depth for the stretch drive. It would be nice to see them pick up a couple of quality bullpen arms, a middle infield defensive replacement and a RH bat, even if it is bringing back Turner for cheap.
I can see them making moves but nothing eye opening or even remotely blockbuster.
Criswell pitched the only decent game since AS break
ted – Seven shutout innings in Colorado is more than decent, and his numbers on the season are much better than Paxton.
Exactly what I expected when they claimed they would be buyers – just more dumpster diving. Hope the Celtics left the duck boats running!
Couldn’t pitch much worse than Pivetta, Houk , Bello and Crawford have since the AS break. Who’s gonna be worse this weekend? Wankees or Bosox?
$1.4MM remaining salary for Paxton is a nice gamble. If he beats the O’s or Yankees in one game, that alone would be worth it.
I wonder how many people that hate the Paxton trade also hated the Schwarber trade and the Vazquez trade?
Schwarber was a good hitter filling a clear need. Vazquez was a declining player who made no sense to extend. Why would anybody dislike either of those?
The trade itself was fine. My problem is that I don’t see Paxton as an upgrade over any of their current five starters. He has only pitched on “normal” four days rest once this year, and in that game he lasted just 3 IP. He needs extra rest every time out, and even with that he averages 4.5 IP/GS. With a 112 ERA- this year and a 151 ERA- over his last ten starts.
This improves the rotation depth, but it isn’t at all clear to me that it isn’t a downgrade in effectiveness.
Walks too many batters and he’s burden on a bullpen.
Why would anybody dislike either of those?
=========================
Dislike for the sake of disking them. Some posters were complaining for an injured player even after he returned.
IRT Paxton, I’m not expecting much, but the rotation is approaching toast level. Houck and Criswell’s K/W have taken a hit.
But just as importantly, the cost doesn’t stop us from making additional deals.
Hard to beat the price, and Houck definitely needs a breather. Not sure that would help Criswell, he just isn’t all that good.
Good to hear Breslow mention that he is still looking at SP, just didn’t want to be shut out entirely.
Troll free and fever pitch and others here would find problems if red sox management told them water is wet..some people will complain no matter what
Honestly i call em as i see em you can call me a troll if you want its your right to disagree with my assessment
.be happy i take the time to read your comments in order to form my own opinion…not a troll at all it is hpw i feel about what you choose to write…you can disagree or not
.i dont care
Please I hope this is not it. This is a cheap end deal I would expect from Breslow in the mode of Chaim Bloom. They need more than Paxton here. They need a better pitcher and a right handed hitter and maybe bullpen help.
As we speak John Henry is meeting with Breslow to convince him to suit up and join the pitching staff. “Be your own deadline savior, Craig! Have the courage to make a move no other baseball exec has had the balls to do!!!”
Bloom would have shipped out kenley and oniel for prospects at the same time so even if this it ..its progress
Paxtons era, BB/9 and innings per start are all in the mid to high 4’s. He’s not averaging enough innings to qualify for a win. How anyone gave up anything for him blows my mind.
Especially a team that just let him leave in free agency over the winter….could have had this from the jump for only the cost of money! Stunning mismanagement of resources here. What else is new?
And yet, he qualified for eight of them.
This is not to say he is any more than a #4/5, maybe less, but most of the BB9 damage was early. He had 22 walks in his first 25.2 IPs. His results since then have still been weak, but not gruesome.
I like the return for the dodgers. At 16 he is already showing some decent plate discipline and non zero power.
Obviously it is more likely he never makes the majors than he becomes a star or even just a regular but the dodgers are so stacked that they should take such a gamble, they don’t need a high floor 22 year old who will be blocked in a year, they have time and can shoot for upside
Dodgers fans should love the return as there shouldn’t have been any return lol. A bag of gently used BP balls would be an overpay for Paxton. Big Maple is Maple Syrup.
Exactly, role the dice.
I know I’ve been saying sell, sell, sell but this is a decent move. It helps, but I don’t think it puts us over the top.
Welcome back, Big Maple.
Big Maple is gone. Maple Syrup has returned.
Solid pick up. Gives them the option to going w a 6-man starting staff. Keeps everyone fresher. Manages innings concerns for a number of our younger starters. Now, maybe contact the Jays about Gausman. And I also wouldn’t mind two playoff runs with Blake Snell as part of the staff
Gausman has done terrible this year. I’ve never trusted him
Agon, Beckett, Craw, Price, Betts were all miserable in Boston. None would have stayed if they didn’t have to stay. When Verdugo was miserable, he got sent to the Yankees. Instant hero. Now? Meh. Kike was vilified in Boston. Sure, he’s better than Error in Judgement in the postseason but that doesn’t help a last place team. Count up players who have stunk it up in Yankee uniforms (lots of them) and Dodgers as well to balance it all out.
The Red Sox have ton of prospect depth and they could easily make trades for an impact arm or a right handed batter the real question is it the smart thing to do. Keith Law came out with his new top 60 prospects with the caveat if you were in the majors you aren’t eligible for the list and Mayer was #2, Teel #19, and Anthony #21. In fact the Red Sox were tied with the Mariners with 5 top 60 prospects in Laws update.
That’s just the start of it the Red Sox have a ton of other guys in fact I would take there top against just about any other orgs top 20. I love to watch guys break out and the Red Sox have guys breaking out. The Red Sox last two drafts before this one, it’s to early to rate the Breslow draft, have been really good it’s quite possible actually likely that Boston got the steals of the draft in the 2022 and 2023 draft in Anthony and Campbell.
Even with all the talent the Red Sox have been amassing in the last few years and as much as I love watching the minor league games and prospects these guys exist to either help the big club as trade bait or eventually become part of the big league club. Imo this Red Sox team has done what they need to do to invest in this current team. The Red Sox need to trade for at minimum one and probably two more impact relief arms. If a right handed bat such as Yandy Diaz can be had so be it but it’s pitching this team needs. I’m quite comfortable with the offense and in the right deal for impact pitching I would trade one of the big three. Remember this offense is very left handed at this point and the three best prospects are also left handed with heavy platoon splits. It’s going to be tough to have all of those lefty’s in the lineup. In a perfect world the Red Sox would trade a couple of Rule 5 eligible guys for bullpen help and perhaps Yorke, Lugo, Sogard, could be traded for solid bullpen arms. The bottom line this team has done what it needs to do to be buyers at the deadline Breslow is now on the clock he simply has to do more then adding the Big Maple. I will be watching very closely over the next 4 days.
I think A Bullpen day would be as good as having DFA/4.38 ERA Paxton pitching tonight.
Hope I’m wrong, but he’s obviously not pitching that well.
“Hey guys,I need to put down the cushion thing while I pray…”