James Paxton to retire after 2024 season: MLB veteran pitcher retires after 11 years in the Major League

Boston Red Sox left-hander James Paxton, currently on the 60-day injured list with a partially torn right calf muscle, intends to retire after the season, he told Rob Bradford during an appearance on the “Baseball Isn't Boring” podcast.

Paxton, 35, cannot be used again until the regular season is over, meaning his last appearance is already behind him unless two things happen: 1) the Red Sox overcome their four-game deficit in the race for the final wild-card spot in the American League and 2) he is healthy enough to be used again in the postseason.

If this is the end for Paxton, it's an unfortunate but fitting one. Injuries have ruined his career, limiting him to 177 major league appearances over parts of 11 major league seasons. This year marked the first time since 2019 that he made more than 20 appearances in a season. (Granted, he only has one more appearance to miss in 2023 to reach that many.) Paxton was almost always effective when healthy, posting a 110 ERA+ and 13.8 Wins Above Replacement.

Nicknamed “Big Maple” because of his size and Canadian heritage, Paxton will probably be best remembered for throwing a no-hitter against the Blue Jays in Toronto on May 8, 2018. At the time, he was a member of the Seattle Mariners, his original organization and a club for which he made two appearances. All but one of his 103 appearances in the Pacific Northwest came during his first arrival in the major leagues. From 2014 to 2018, he posted a 3.50 ERA (114 ERA+) and a 3.70 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 558 innings.

The Mariners subsequently traded Paxton to the New York Yankees in a four-player trade. Paxton also spent time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he began this season, before being sent to Boston for his second tour with the Red Sox.