Seattle Mariners: 3 takeaways from reunion with James Paxton

3) A welcome return to the past

It is often said that you should not live in or return to the past, because little is to be gained. Paxton is an exception to this philosophy, even allowing for the potential durability issues previously referred to.

There is plenty of reason to believe the Mariners are getting a version of the player close to the one they traded to the Yankees. It hasn’t been that long since “The Big Maple” left Seattle; consider that his no-hitter with the M’s took place on May 8, 2018.

In addition, Paxton proved his ability to perform in the pressure cooker that is New York, as well as during the postseason. (A 2.16 ERA and 12 strikeouts in two starts — 8.1 innings combined — during the 2019 ALCS.) In his one full season with the Yankees he recorded a 3.82 ERA, 3.86 FIP and 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings, on the way to a career-best 15 wins.

Mariners fans will be glad to know Paxton has retained an excellent fastball capable of reaching the high 90s; as per Brooks Baseball he averaged 93 miles per hour in 2020, albeit in limited action. He primarily complimented this with a 92 mph sinker, but is more than capable of mixing in a curve, cutter and change to get opposing hitters guessing.

Other notes:

• Second Canadian to ever throw a no-hitter in the Majors and the first to throw one in Canada.
• Career-high 16 strikeouts on May 2, 2018, versus the Oakland Athletics.
• Second Yankees pitcher to ever throw 12 or more strikeouts in consecutive starts.
• Career averages of 3.58 ERA, 3.31 FIP, 1.213 WHIP and 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
• Named 2018 Tip O’Neill Award winner by the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

Do you agree with the decision to bring back Paxton? Or do you think the Seattle Mariners should have decided against signing the pitcher? Let us know in the comments section below.