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James Paxton threw 96 innings with the Pink Sox final season, marking his return to considerably common motion after accidents restricted him to 21 2/3 massive league frames in 2020-21 and no innings in any respect in 2022. Paxton’s comeback yr was then principally two seasons in a single — the superb 2.76 ERA he posted over his first 56 innings, adopted by an unpleasant 6.98 ERA in his ultimate 40 innings of labor.
As Paxton tells Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, “I felt like I sort of reached some extent the place my physique was just a bit burned out. I didn’t have a lot left within the tanok.” Paxton stored pushing because the Pink Sox had been nonetheless on the fringes of the playoff race, and struggled particularly as soon as he was moved to an everyday flip of 4 days’ relaxation between begins.
“Early within the season, I had a whole lot of additional relaxation, after which we went to a shorter leash. Coming off a surgical procedure and that a lot day without work, I wasn’t conditioned for that,” Paxton mentioned. “In case you begin off going [every five days] your physique will get accustomed to that, whereas when you go six on a regular basis, that’s what your physique will get accustomed to. We’re creatures of behavior.”
Regardless of the tough end to his season, Paxton nonetheless landed $7MM from the Dodgers on a one-year free agent contract, even when that $7MM complete dropped from an preliminary $11MM assure due to some concerns the crew had about his total well being. The 35-year-old lefty is hopeful that getting some innings below his belt final season will higher assist him handle the size of the 2024 marketing campaign, plus L.A. will deploy “considerably of a six-man rotation,” in accordance with assistant pitching coach Connor McGuinness. The concept is to maintain all the Dodgers’ hurlers recent and wholesome, plus another reinforcements in Clayton Kershaw and Dustin May might be a part of the pitching combine after the center of the season.
Whereas Paxton’s 2023 season was principally divided in two, Max Muncy’s yr was a bit extra of a roller-coaster earlier than he completed a reasonably typical yr of manufacturing. The infielder hit .212/.333/.475 over 579 plate appearances whereas matching his profession excessive of 36 residence runs, translating to a 118 wRC+. Los Angeles was impressed sufficient to signal Muncy to a brand new contract extension, guaranteeing him $24MM by way of 2025 whereas additionally tacking a $10MM membership possibility on his providers for 2026.
Muncy’s recipe of homers, walks, low averages, and excessive strikeouts is fairly set, however as he enters his age-33 season, Muncy feels he has extra to supply as a defensive participant. He informed reporters (together with Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register) that his offseason regiment included chopping 15 kilos and focusing extra on flexibility coaching.
“It was simply ensuring my ft transfer a little bit bit extra, and getting the knees wholesome. Final yr, I had a little bit hassle with simply not staying down on the ball,” Muncy mentioned. “I used to be developing out of my fielding stance and all the pieces. And if you’re doing that, it’s laborious to learn the hops and I stored placing myself in unhealthy positions final yr with unhealthy hops….So the main focus was simply ensuring that my ft keep shifting. Simply permitting myself to learn the ball and make strikes on it.”
There’s principally nowhere to go however up for Muncy defensively, as the general public defensive metrics (-7 Outs Above Common, -3 Defensive Runs Saved, -14.8 UZR/150) had been unanimously unimpressed together with his third base glovework in 2023. The transfer to roughly a full-time third base function has come because the Dodgers have introduced celebrity expertise into Muncy’s different positions — Shohei Ohtani is now locked in at DH, Freddie Freeman at first base, and Mookie Betts is now shifting into on a regular basis second base obligation.
“I’ve been very open about how I wish to keep right here for the remainder of my profession….So if I wish to play right here, I want to verify I’m within the discipline, and one of the simplest ways to do this is simply put myself in a great place,” Muncy mentioned.
In different Dodgers information, GM Brandon Gomes informed Plunkett and different reporters that catching prospect Diego Cartaya has been coping with a again downside however the “full expectation” is that Cartaya will probably be set for the beginning of the Double-A season. Again issues have bothered Cartaya prior to now, and the very last thing the catcher wants is an harm setback as he seems to be to bounce again from a troublesome season. A top-20 prospect within the sport heading into the 2023 marketing campaign, Cartaya hit solely .189/.278/.379 over 403 PA at Double-A final season, dropping his inventory as a possible catcher of the longer term.
Nick Frasso is one other top-100 prospect taking a look at a misplaced yr, as he was already anticipated to overlook the 2024 season after present process shoulder surgical procedure again in November. Gomes added that Frasso additionally had a “clean-up” surgical procedure on his proper hip labrum, although it doesn’t seem as if this second process will affect the right-hander’s timeline. If all goes nicely, Gomes thinks Frasso will have the ability to pitch within the Arizona Fall League.
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