Pitcher James Paxton will see his contract guarantee dip from $11 million to $7 million as part of a reworked deal with the Dodgers over a health concern according to The Athletic.
The health concern was not enough to stop the deal after the Dodgers and Paxton had agreed on a one-year deal on Monday, but he did potentially lose out on a chunk of money.
Paxton’s agent, Scott Boras, and the team declined to explain why the changes were made due to HIPAA considerations, per The Athletic.
The revised contract — which still allows for him to earn up to $13 million with incentives — keeps Paxton’s $3 million signing bonus the same, drops the salary from $8 million to $4 million and increases the roster bonus to $2 million if he’s on the team roster for Opening Day in Korea on March 20 or the stateside opener eight days later, according to the Associated Press.
He also would receive a $1 million bonus if he’s active by April 15, and the lefty could earn an extra $2 million if he’s on the roster by that date and proceeds to make 20 or more starts this season.
Performance bonuses for additional starts could earn him as much as $4 million.
The 35-year-old southpaw is coming off a season with the Red Sox where he went 7-5 with a 4.50 ERA last year, though he didn’t make his Boston debut until May 12 due to a strained right hamstring he suffered in spring training.
Paxton then found himself on the shelf in September once again due to right knee inflammation.
This came after he threw just 1 1/3 innings in 2021 before needing Tommy John surgery.
He missed all of 2022 after the elbow injury before suffering a lat tear during his rehab, shutting him down for that entire season.
Only twice in his career has Paxton thrown more at least 150 innings, last reaching the mark with the Yankees in 2019.
Over the course of seven seasons in the majors, Paxton has a 64-38 record and a 3.69 ERA in 156 starts.