Left-hander James Paxton and the Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to an $11 million, one-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the agreement was subject to a successful physical.
Paxton can earn up to $13 million if he is healthy during the early part of the season and starts at least 20 games.
He joins a Dodgers rotation projected to include fellow newcomers Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow along with Walker Buehler, returning from Tommy John surgery, and Bobby Miller or Emmet Sheehan.
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Los Angeles has been baseball’s top spender this offseason, committing $1,246,687,500 to two-way star Shohei Ohtani, Yamamoto, Glasnow, Paxton and outfielder Teoscar Hernández.
Paxton gets a $3 million signing bonus, payable by Feb. 7 if the contract has been signed and approved by the commissioner’s office, and an $8 million salary.
He would receive a $1 million bonus if he is on the active opening day roster, and if Paxton does not earn that bonus he could trigger a $500,000 bonus if he is on the active roster by April 15.
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Paxton can earn $1 million in performance bonuses for starts: $250,000 each for 16 and 18, and $500,000 for 20.
A 35-year-old left-hander, Paxton was 7-5 with a 4.50 ERA last year in his only season with the Boston Red Sox. He strained his right hamstring during his first spring training start on March 3 and didn't make his season debut until May 12. Paxton didn't pitch after Sept. 1 because of right knee inflammation.
Paxton signed an $8.5 million, one-year contract with Seattle ahead of the 2021 season, cut short his opening start on April 6 and had Tommy John surgery eight days later. He signed a $10 million, two-year contract with Boston and returned to make seven minor league appearances late in the 2022 season.
Paxton is 64-38 with a 3.69 ERA in 156 starts over seven big league seasons with Seattle (2013-18), the New York Yankees (2019-20) and Boston.
