The “Big Maple” is headed back to Seattle. Chad Dey of Sportsnet 650 was the first to report that Ladner’s James Paxton and the Seattle Mariners had agreed to terms on a contract. That report was then confirmed by MLB on FOX’s Ken Rosenthal.
Paxton was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the fourth round (No. 132 pick) of the 2010 MLB Draft out of the University of Kentucky. He spent eight seasons in the Mariners organization (six at the major league level) before being traded to the Yankees in November of 2018. He has spent the past three seasons in New York.
During his last stint with the Mariners, Paxton was 41-26 with a 3.42 ERA. He recorded 617 strikeouts, giving up just 168 walks and 221 earned runs. He had a WHIP of 1.187 and had 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
Paxton was named the AL Pitcher of the Month in July 2017 and was the Mariners 2017 MVP. He was named AL Player of the Week three times (April 16, 2017, July 30. 2017 and May 13, 2018).
During his time with New York, Paxton was 16-7 with a 4.16 ERA. He recorded 212 strikeouts, gave up 62 walks and 79 earned runs, and had a WHIP of 1.304, with 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Paxton struggled in 2020, going just 1-1, recording a 6.64 ERA, striking out 26, walking seven, and giving up 15 earned runs in the COVID-19 shortened season. Paxton had a WHIP of 1.475 and had 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings. He also missed time due to multiple injuries during his time in New York.
Paxton (33) will look to turn things around as he heads back to Seattle this season.
