With a personnel crisis looming across its 40-man roster and starting rotation, the Dodger shook up his pitching staff on Monday afternoon.
The team decided to designate a veteran starter James Paxton for attribution, according to several people with knowledge of the situation who were not authorized to speak publicly.
A 35-year-old lefty who signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers in the offseason, Paxton provided key innings to the team’s short-handed rotation during the first half of the season, going 8-2 in 18 starts.
But with a diminished fastball and inconsistent command, his production often fluctuated, reflected in a 4.43 ERA and NL-leading 48 walks.
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Paxton’s last start, a five-plus inning, three-run effort against the Boston Red Sox on Sundayit was one of his best performances, highlighted by an increase in velocity and seven strikeouts.
After the game, he seemed encouraged by the performance, hopeful that his up-and-down season was finally behind him.
“I was attacking the zone with everything I had,” Paxton said, after reaching 96 mph with his fastball. “The fleece came out of nowhere, so that was cool.”
On Monday, however, Paxton’s tenure with the Dodgers almost certainly came to an end.
The team needed roster spots for 40 players with rookie River Ryan and veteran Clayton Kershaw should be activated next week.
Club officials knew the returns of Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller wouldn’t be far behind, with both being reset midseason (Buehler on the injured list; Miller for being option for triple A) after turbulent starts to the year.
Furthermore, Yoshinobu Yamamoto is still expected return later this season – completing a wave of future additions that likely would have taken Paxton out of the rotation.
Rather than wait until then and potentially lose Paxton for nothing, the Dodgers sensed an opportunity now, according to a person with knowledge of the situation but not authorized to speak publicly. The team will have seven days to find a trade for Paxton before he requests waivers. And given the number of rival clubs in need of pitching help before next Tuesday’s trade deadline, the Dodgers are hoping to find suitors willing to give up something for the 11-year veteran (who last achieved a performance bonus in his contract on Sunday, making his 18th start, maximizing the deal’s total potential value of $13 million).
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The risk, of course, is that the Dodgers are sacrificing the potential depth that Paxton could provide later this season if their team is ravaged by more injuries.
Up to this point, they needed Paxton to help fill out a rotation that sometimes featured three or four rookies.
In the end, though, the club was confident enough in its numerous recovering arms to try to salvage something for Paxton before next Tuesday’s trade deadline.
His season could still be turning a corner. He can still play important games for teams competing in the playoffs. After Monday’s decision, however, Paxton will have to wait and see where as the Dodgers start the clock to try to turn him elsewhere.
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This story originally appeared on Los Angeles Times.
