Dodgers Officially Sign James Paxton to One-Year Deal
The Los Angeles Dodgers have made the James Paxton signing official. On Monday, the team announced that they signed Paxton to a one-year deal. The 40-man roster was at 39, so there was no corresponding move and the roster is now full.
Paxton, 35, spent the 2023 season with the Boston Red Sox. He had a 4.50 ERA in 19 starts, in his first season coming off Tommy John surgery.
The Canada native has a career 3.69 ERA in 156 starts, and brings a different look to the Dodgers’ rotation as a left-handed pitcher.
He joins a righty-filled rotation of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Walker Buehler, Bobby Miller and Emmet Sheehan, and likely fills the rotation at this point in the offseason. He doesn’t necessarily take the Dodgers out of the Clayton Kershaw sweepstakes, though, as Kershaw won’t return to the mound until the late summer.
Paxton has five pitches, but his main pitch is his four-seam fastball. He also has a knuckle curveball, cutter, changeup and occasional sinker.
Paxton brings a strong veteran presence to the L.A. rotation, and has made at least 19 starts in five of his 10 seasons.
James Paxton Contract Breakdown With Dodgers
According to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, Paxton will get an $8 million salary in 2024 with a $3 million signing bonus.
His contract includes multiple incentives:
- $1 million bonus for making Opening Day roster
- $500K bonus if he’s on the active roster by April 15
- $250K bonus for 16 and 18 games started
- $500K bonus for 20 game started
Editor’s note: The incentive structure in Paxton’s contract was altered subsequent to our original report.
Photo Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
