Boston Red Sox left-hander James Paxton, who is currently on the 60-day injured list with a partial tear in his right calf muscle, has announced his intention to retire after the 2024 season during an appearance on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast with Rob Bradford.
At 35, Paxton will not be eligible to return until after the regular season ends, meaning his last appearance has likely already occurred unless two conditions are met: 1) the Red Sox close their four-game deficit for the final American League wild-card spot, and 2) he is fit to return for the postseason.
If this is indeed the end for Paxton, it’s a bittersweet conclusion to a career plagued by injuries, which limited him to 177 major league appearances over 11 seasons. This year marked the first time he made more than 20 appearances in a season since 2019, though he fell just short of that number in 2023. Despite the injuries, Paxton was generally effective when healthy, boasting a 110 ERA+ and 13.8 Wins Above Replacement.
Known as “Big Maple” due to his height and Canadian heritage, Paxton will be particularly remembered for his no-hitter against the Blue Jays in Toronto on May 8, 2018, while with the Seattle Mariners, his original team where he had two stints. During his first tenure with the Mariners from 2014 to 2018, he recorded a 3.50 ERA (114 ERA+) and a 3.70 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 558 innings.
After being traded to the New York Yankees in a four-player deal, Paxton also spent time with the Los Angeles Dodgers before starting the season with them and eventually being traded back to the Red Sox.
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