James Paxton will be returning to the Seattle Mariners after a two-season stint with the New York Yankees.
The left-handed pitcher and Seattle agreed to an $8.5 million one-year deal. Paxton is able to earn an additional $1.5 million in performance bonuses for starts. The bonuses are $150,000 each for six to 10 starts and $750,000 moreover starts 11-22.
Paxton played for Seattle from 2003-2018, the pitcher compiled a 41-26 with a 3.42 ERA during his tenure with the team. In addition, he earned 617 strikeouts, 168 walks in 582 1/3 innings. In November 2018, he was traded to the Yankees in exchange for left-hander Justus Sheffield, along with outfielder Dom Thompson-Williams and right-hander Erik Swanson.
Seattle held out hope that the left-handed pitcher would return to the team, one day. In his first season with New York, he struggled but was able to find his stride to go 15 wins and six losses with a 3.82 ERA. In his second and final season with the Yankees, the left-handed pitcher only had two wins and three losses with an ERA of 6.64 ERA in five starts.
The 32-year-old was unable to play after August 20 because of a low-grade strain in his left forearm flexor. After the season ended, the Yankees allowed the 32-year-old to walk in free agency.
Paxton will be joining a Seattle team that will employ a six-man rotation pitching style, which will likely take away about five starts from each pitcher in the rotation.
