The Dodgers are close to finalizing an agreement with ex-Red Sox starting pitcher James Paxton

The Dodgers, despite already making significant additions to their pitching roster during the winter, are not finished strengthening their revamped rotation.

Sources reveal that the team is close to securing a deal with left-handed pitcher James Paxton, who is currently a free agent. The negotiations are in progress, and while not yet finalized, discussions involve a potential one-year contract for Paxton with a salary around $12 million, coupled with performance bonuses. Although the agreement hasn’t been fully confirmed, terms are expected to be settled, possibly by Monday night.

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While not as high-profile as Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, the 35-year-old Paxton could bring valuable contributions to the Dodgers’ starting pitching lineup.

He wasn’t the most prominent veteran remaining on the market, especially with the longstanding Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw still unsigned. Although the Dodgers are interested in re-signing Kershaw, the future Hall of Famer is likely to miss a significant portion of the upcoming season due to surgery.

With a decade of MLB experience, Paxton surpasses the team’s other rotation options.

Having endured limited playing time between 2020 and 2022 due to Tommy John surgery, Paxton made a comeback with the Boston Red Sox last year, posting a 7-5 record with a 4.50 ERA in 19 starts.

Given the workload uncertainties surrounding the rest of the Dodgers’ pitching staff, Paxton is expected to provide a stabilizing veteran presence.

Recognized for his hard-throwing style, Canadian background, scruffy beard, and a towering 6-foot-4 frame, Paxton earned the nickname “The Big Maple.” His peak seasons occurred with the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees from 2016 to 2019, featuring four consecutive campaigns with at least 20 starts and a sub-4.00 ERA.

While those prime years may be in the past, Paxton, a left-handed pitcher, maintained an average fastball speed of over 95 mph last season, ranking in the 71st percentile among MLB pitchers. He also recorded 101 strikeouts in 96 innings, with only 33 walks.

Even prior to Paxton’s potential addition, the Dodgers’ rotation had already undergone significant changes this winter.

Glasnow was obtained through a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and later secured a five-year, $136.5-million extension. Subsequently, Yamamoto joined the team on an unprecedented 12-year, $325-million contract, setting a new record for the most guaranteed money in MLB history for a starting pitcher. Notably, Yamamoto, a 25-year-old Japanese standout, had no prior MLB experience. Meanwhile, Walker Buehler has been recovering from Tommy John surgery and is expected to return early next season.

While this group, along with the emerging talent Bobby Miller, provided the Dodgers with an impressive lineup of top-tier pitchers, there were lingering concerns about their potential workloads in the 2024 season.

Buehler may deliberately delay the start of his season if he and the Dodgers believe that managing his regular-season innings would contribute to his freshness for October.

Miller, after pitching over 140 innings across the majors and minors last year, reached a career-high workload.

Glasnow has never exceeded 120 innings in a single MLB season due to elbow injuries (including Tommy John surgery in 2021) and an oblique issue that sidelined him for a couple of months last season.

Yamamoto, accustomed to a once-per-week pitching schedule in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball league, led to speculation about the Dodgers potentially utilizing a six-man rotation at times in the upcoming season.

These factors underscored the Dodgers’ ongoing need for additional pitching depth, especially with younger arms like Gavin Stone, Emmet Sheehan, and Michael Grove further down the depth chart. While left-handed swingman Ryan Yarbrough has starting experience, there’s a possibility he may be kept in the bullpen as a long reliever.

Given this context, Paxton, with a career record of 64-39, a 3.69 ERA, and 932 strikeouts, emerges as a sensible choice. His addition strengthens the Dodgers’ rotation, offering a low-risk, high-reward component as they conclude a busy offseason overhaul of their pitching staff.