Red Sox acquire left-handed pitcher James Paxton from Los Angeles Dodgers
BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox today acquired left-handed pitcher James Paxton from the Los Angeles Dodgers, in exchange for minor league infielder Moises Bolivar.
To make room for Paxton on the 40-Man Roster, the Red Sox transferred right-handed pitcher Bryan Mata to the 60-Day Injured List.
Paxton, 35, is 8-2 with a 4.43 ERA (44 ER/89.1 IP) over 18 starts with the Dodgers this season. He most recently pitched Sunday against the Red Sox and earned the win after allowing three runs over 5.0 innings with seven strikeouts, four walks, and four hits allowed. In five outings against American League teams, Paxton has gone 3-0 with a 3.16 ERA (9 ER/25.2 IP), with the Dodgers winning each of those games. In eight of his starts, the left-hander has thrown at least 5.0 innings and allowed two runs or fewer.
In 174 career outings (all starts), Paxton is 72-40 with a 3.76 ERA (393 ER/940.0 IP) and 996 strikeouts with the Seattle Mariners (2013-18, ’21), New York Yankees (2019-20), Red Sox (2023), and Dodgers (2024). For Boston in 2023, he made 19 starts and went 7-5 with a 4.50 ERA (48 ER/96.0 IP) and 101 strikeouts. A native of Vancouver, Paxton pitched at the University of Kentucky from 2007-09 and was selected by the Mariners in the fourth round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft. He posted a sub-4.00 ERA in each of his first seven major league seasons (2013-19), and on May 8, 2018 at Rogers Centre, he threw a no-hitter in a 5-0 win over the Blue Jays.
Bolivar, 17, was signed by Boston in 2024. In 31 games with the Dominican Summer League Red Sox Blue this season, the right-handed hitter has batted .270 (30-for-111) with a .787 OPS while making 23 starts at third base, three at first base, and five as the designated hitter.
Mata, 25, began the season on the 15-Day Injured List with a right hamstring strain. He has made 10 rehab appearances (seven starts) this season with the Florida Complex League Red Sox, High-A Greenville, Double-A Portland, and Triple-A Worcester.