“I’m going to be retiring and moving on” - James Paxton calls it quits, hopes for one last postseason run before leaving MLB

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher James Paxton revealed his plans to retire at the end of the 2024 season during an interview with Rob Bradford of WEEI on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast. The 35-year-old is currently on the 60-day IL and is not expected to return before the end of the regular season. Therefore, his career is effectively over unless the Red Sox can somehow reach the playoffs.

James Paxton had signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and started 18 games for them before he was designated for assignment. The Red Sox acquired him at the trade deadline, but he could only make three starts for the team.

Paxton was moved to the IL on August 23 due to a calf strain that he had suffered in his last pitching appearance on August 11.

“I’m hoping that we can squeak into the postseason and I get an opportunity to pitch again. But I think, after this season, I’m going to be retiring and moving on to the next chapter,” Paxton told Bradford during the interview on Wednesday.

"It's tough. Obviously, I think that I can still do it. I can still go out there and compete, and help a team win,” Paxton continued.

“But I just think with where my family's at and what they need right now, they need me home," he added. "I feel the duty and the responsibility to be at home with my family and I'm looking forward to being at home with my family, and spending more time with them, too."

The Red Sox will need to wipe away a four-game deficit and progress to the ALCS in order for Paxton to get back on a major league mound one more time.

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Excellent career for James Paxton despite several injuries

James Paxton started the 2024 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

Nicknamed the "Big Maple," James Paxton is a British Columbia native who was initially picked by the Toronto Blue Jays as 37th overall in the 2009 draft. However, the two parties could not agree to a deal, and Paxton was later drafted in the fourth round by the Seattle Mariners the following year.

Paxton made his MLB debut with the Seattle Mariners in 2013 and played for four different teams over his 11-year career, including a couple of seasons with the New York Yankees. He pitched for the Boston Red Sox in 2023 before signing up with the Dodgers at the start of this season, although he returned back to Fenway Park within a few months.

James Paxton has a 73-41 record from the 177 games he started over his major league career. Injuries limited the left-hander to just 951 innings, although he will finish with a highly respectable 3.77 ERA.