Lefthanded James Paxton returns to the Seattle Mariners after an injury-filled second season with the New York Yankees.
Paxton and the Mariners agree on a one-year $ 8.5 million deal, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Saturday. The contract includes achievable bonuses that can go up to $ 10 million, sources said.
Paxton, 32, was 41-26 with a 3.42 ERA for the Mariners from 2013 to 2018, striking out 617 and walking 168 in 582⅓ innings. He was traded to the Yankees for a top project in November 2018, left-handed Justus Sheffield, along with outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams and right-handed Erik Swanson.
The Mariners hoped that when Paxton was traded there could be a future reunion with the resident of nearby Ladner, British Columbia.
Paxton struggled in the first half of his first season in New York, rediscovered his breaking ball in the second half and went 15-6 with a 3.82 ERA. He won a career-best 10 consecutive starts before leaving his last regular season start after one inning on September 27, 2019.
The Yankees said he had a tight left glute, and he returned to 1-0 with a 3.46 ERA in three postseason starts, giving up five runs in 13 innings. But he had to undergo surgery in February 2020, when Dr. Andrew Dossett in Dallas performed a microscopic lumbar discectomy to repair a hernia and remove a peridiscal cyst.
Paxton was able to start the season in time when the COVID-19 pandemic delayed until the end of July, but went just 2-3 with a 6.64 ERA in five starts. He didn’t pitch after August 20 after suffering what the Yankees say was weak tension in his left forearm flexor.
The Yankees let Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka and JA Happ leave as free agents and replaced them with Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon.
Paxton was a fan favorite during his first stint in Seattle. His best seasons came in 2017 and 2018, when he combined 23-11 with a 3.40 ERA and pitched the lone no-hitter of his career against the Toronto Blue Jays in May 2018.
Paxton joins a rotation initially planned with Marco Gonzales, Yusei Kikuchi, Sheffield and Justin Dunn. After finishing third in the American League West at 27-33, Seattle previously added free-agent right-hand man Chris Flexen, agreeing to a $ 4.75 million two-year deal.
Seattle is expected to use a six-man rotation, which would likely take away about five starts from each pitcher in the rotation. The addition of Paxton will likely put Nick Margevicius in a bullpen role.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.