Guess who’s back, back again?
James Paxton’s back. Tell a friend.
Craig Breslow and the Boston Red Sox kicked off their hopeful pre-trade deadline frenzy by re-acquiring old friend Paxton from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday. Boston sent minor league infielder Moises Bolivar to L.A. in the deal.
Paxton will make his Red Sox re-debut on Tuesday night against his old Seattle Mariners team. His return to the rotation will push Cooper Criswell to the bullpen, the team said on Saturday.
You can count Jarren Duran as a big fan of the move...
"Can't wait to see him and start cheering on some Big Maple again," Duran told reporters Friday.
Now, let’s not give Breslow too much credit here. The Dodgers had just designated the big left-handed starter for assignment last week. So, it’s not exactly as if the Sox had to dig deep into their bag of prospects to get him.
James Paxton is being designated for assignment, per @ByRobertMurray pic.twitter.com/6CoppriHiw
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 22, 2024
But the return of Paxton should be beneficial, nonetheless. It addresses a primary need for starting pitching, after all. The 35-year-old figures to complete the rotation and will slot in nicely as the Red Sox’s lone left-handed starter.
Paxton hasn’t been great this season, but he’s been far from a train wreck. He posted an 8-2 record with a 4.43 ERA, a 1.46 WHIP and 64 strikeouts in 18 starts before the Dodgers cut him loose.
His last start, fittingly, came against the Red Sox, when Paxton produced five solid innings of three-run ball with seven strikeouts in L.A.’s eventual 9-6 sweep-clinching victory one week ago Sunday.
A quick glance at the game logs will tell you that walks have been a problem for Paxton this year. He walked four in that start against Boston and four in his previous outing (in only 3 2/3 innings) versus Detroit. Paxton has walked four or more batters in six starts this season — including issuing a whopping eight free passes in a five-inning start against San Diego back in April.
So, let’s be clear. The Red Sox are not getting the former 15-game winner, sub-4.00 ERA Paxton they once thought they were getting. But if Paxton can resemble the pitcher he was during his first run in Boston, when he went 7-5 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP, he would certainly be capable of helping get this pitching staff to the finish line…
Casas return imminent?
Remember how I told you it was finally time to panic about Triston Casas in last weekend’s notebook?
If only I had waited just one more week…
It appears that Casas may indeed be returning to a ballpark near you, and soon.
“There’s a good chance that he can go on a rehab assignment next week,” Alex Cora said before Saturday’s game. “I think that’s where we at right now, but let’s see how the weekend goes. He’s looking better.”
Well, that’s encouraging. This is the first update on Casas from the team that sounded truly upbeat, and it will likely have a ripple effect. Not only could it boost the team’s performance on the field, but I would imagine it also makes the Sox less likely to pursue another first baseman at the deadline.
Casas participated in infield drills on Saturday, as did Trevor Story — so, as I wrote about last week, that’s an interesting storyline to keep an eye on, as well.
Cora did note that Casas’ rehab stint likely wouldn’t be a quick one. That likely would put him on a trajectory to return somewhere in mid-to late-August. But, hey, we were starting to worry that we wouldn’t see him back at all this year.
It will almost certainly take him time to ramp back up to a productive level even once he returns to the majors. Casas wasn’t exactly off to a flying start this season before he went down with the rib cartilage tear. The 24-year-old was slashing .244/.344/.513 with six homers and 10 RBIs at the time of the injury.
I guess it’s time to see if all those “dry swings" actually paid off…
Yoshida a keeper?
Masataka Yoshida sees your trade rumors, and he raises you a “hold my beer.”
Once seemingly a shoe-in to be shopped or dealt at the trade deadline, Yoshida is back with a vengeance.
The Japanese left-handed hitter played the hero against the Yankees (again) in Friday’s series opener, plating a tiebreaking and insurance run on an eighth-inning single to highlight a hard-fought 9-7 win. Yoshida finished 1 for 3 with three RBIs on the night, driving in another run on a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
Masataka Yoshida gives the @RedSox the lead in the 8th! pic.twitter.com/NBVUBOwSNz
— MLB (@MLB) July 27, 2024
Yoshida has been raking in the month of July, slashing .311/.394/.443 with a pair of homers and 15 RBIs over the first 17 games. His resurgence has held up through the All-Star break, as he’s recorded a hit in five of his six games played since.
All told, Yoshida’s batting average has risen to .267 on the season. He’s proving that he can be a valuable contributor to a postseason push. But the big question is: will that be for Boston, or potentially somewhere else?
There are two ways to look at it. Either the Sox can gamble that Yoshida will continue to be productive, or they can cash out at a time when Yoshida’s value is higher than what it was a month or so ago.
Me? I’d hang onto him, at least for the rest of the season. The Sox will need all the help they can get if they plan to make the postseason, and considering that it isn’t likely that Breslow will add to the offense in a big way, you really can’t afford very much subtraction…
There will be a day when Yoshida’s time as the Red Sox’s designated hitter will run its course.
I don’t believe today (or some day next week) has to be that day.
Yankees, Orioles bulk up
The Yankees decided they needed a little Jazz in their life.
New York made waves with its first big move before the deadline, reportedly trading for one-time All-Star outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. on Saturday.
Breaking: The New York Yankees are finalizing a deal to acquire outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Miami Marlins, sources tell @JeffPassan. pic.twitter.com/lgpDhbvyhh
— ESPN (@espn) July 27, 2024
Chisholm’s production this year has been middling, a .249/.323/.407 slash line with 13 homers and 50 RBIs. Unlike Yoshida, though, he has not been hitting the ball well in July. Chisholm is batting just .198 with three long balls and 11 RBIs this month after slashing .276/.326/379 in June.
He no longer appears to be a breakout star the league once viewed him as, but the 26-year-old is still a hitter who can boost a contender.
Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles made a move to strengthen their rotation with the acquisition of right-handed starter Zach Eflin from Tampa Bay.
Eflin, 30, is 5-7 with a 4.09 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP and 87 strikeouts through 19 starts this season. His four outings this month have been mixed, twice allowing two or fewer runs in starts of at least 5 2/3 innings and giving up six and five runs respectively in his two other starts.
So, think of it like a slightly improved version of the Paxton trade. It’s not going to elevate the O’s to World Series favorite, nor will Chisholm do the same for the Yankees, but they’re both decent moves to make good teams better.
You’re up, Craig…
Gethin Coolbaugh is a columnist for Boston Sports Journal. Follow him @GethinCoolbaugh on X/Twitter.
