Gresh & Fauria: Lou Merloni on James Paxton
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00:00The news that has just broke is that it looks like the Red Sox
00:04are going to get James Paxton, who was DFA'd by the Dodgers.
00:09I'm assuming this is a pretty simple transaction, cash,
00:13or it's just, hey, we'll take him off your hands.
00:15This doesn't cost the Red Sox really anything, does it?
00:18Yeah, we'll see who's available, I mean, who they gave up for him,
00:21if anybody.
00:22It's like a million and a half dollars, basically,
00:24they take on.
00:24It's nothing big.
00:25But that was really more of a paper transaction.
00:28The Dodgers knew that he had some interest from other teams.
00:32They also knew that they DFA, and they have seven days
00:34to trade him, which takes them right to the deadline.
00:36And they needed to activate Glasnow and Kershaw,
00:38and they had a couple other guys coming off.
00:40So it's more of a roster crunch.
00:41So it's not like he's just free, because they released him.
00:44They released him knowing they were
00:45going to be able to trade him, and there
00:46would be competition for him.
00:47But listen, we saw him the other day.
00:50He looked OK in that game.
00:51But this isn't going out there and getting a front line
00:55guy here for the stretch.
00:56To me, this is kind of getting some depth in the hopes
00:58that he can kind of fill a fifth spot.
01:00And I think you continue to look in the starter market.
01:03Lou, I'm sure we'll get into the Cora in a minute.
01:06But everybody now, I think, with Cora signing an extension
01:10assumes that means he believes the team is invested
01:12in the present and the future, and that
01:14means they're going to be buyers.
01:16This does not qualify as buying, right?
01:20This is dipping your toe in it.
01:22This is sort of like, well, we need something.
01:24Let's start now.
01:25And this is what I'm saying.
01:26Sometimes you're like, if you're working on something,
01:29maybe bigger, maybe a starting pitcher that's
01:31got control for the next two or three years,
01:33and it doesn't work out, and you're sort of left with nothing.
01:37I mean, Fresno comes out, and he's like, yeah,
01:39we're going to try to improve this team.
01:40Well, the minute you say that, that
01:42puts heat on yourself to go out and actually do that.
01:45So this, to me, is sort of dipping your toe in it
01:47and getting a body, getting a guy that
01:49can start every fifth day, and you just sort of go from there.
01:53But hopefully, there's more.