Update on James Paxton

With the Mariners hopes for 2015 all but officially done, we continue to look forward to the moral victories ahead for the pieces that will be in play in 2016. Some of those pieces include Mike Zunino. Others include Jesus Montero and Ketel Marte. And another one of those big pieces?

Starting pitcher James Paxton.

With the potential departure of Hisashi Iwakuma through free agency, and the recent trade of J.A. Happ, the M’s need to rely on the trio of Felix Hernandez, Taijuan Walker and Paxton to carry the load next season. Throw in Roenis Elias the M’s still have a good 1-4 in the rotation.

Paxton has been out since May with a finger injury, and how is he progressing?

As Johns report, Paxton is light years from being ready to pitch again in 2015. I wouldn’t be shocked if we don’t see him at the major league level again this year. He just seems too far off. But, I could be wrong.

The Mariners need Paxton to be healthy. A left-hander with mid 90s velocity and a good curveball, Paxton represents a significant piece to the M’s future rotation. He was 3-3 this year with a 3.70 ERA before his injury. Last year, he went 6-4 with a 3.04 ERA and he was 3-0 in a brief 2013 stint.

Reminder, the M’s take on the Twins tonight at 4:10 PST. Mike Montgomery takes the mound for the M’s against Kyle Gibson. The Mariners trail the Twins by 7.0 games in the chase for the second wild card.

Go M’s!

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