Sources - Dodgers, James Paxton closing in on 1-year deal - ESPN

The Los Angeles Dodgers are closing in on a one-year agreement with free agent starting pitcher James Paxton on Monday night, sources told ESPN, confirming multiple reports. Paxton's deal, which is still pending the completion of a physical exam, would pay him about $11 million in guaranteed money, a source familiar with the negotiations said.

A 35-year-old left-hander with a checkered injury history, Paxton made only six starts from 2020 to 2022 after undergoing a procedure to repair a herniated disc and remove a cyst from his back, as well as Tommy John surgery. Paxton returned in May 2023, nearly 25 months after his elbow surgery, and ultimately went 7-5 with a 4.50 ERA in 19 starts for the Boston Red Sox, striking out 101 batters and issuing 33 walks in 96 innings.

Paxton posted a 2.73 ERA in 10 starts in the first half but struggled through a 6.98 ERA in nine starts during the second half, which saw him miss almost the entirety of September with knee inflammation.

Paxton would join a star-studded Dodgers rotation that was largely re-made over the offseason: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller, with the likes of Emmet Sheehan, Michael Grove and Gavin Stone also waiting in the wings. Dustin May, coming back from flexor tendon surgery, is also expected to be an option during the season.

The Dodgers have spent about $1.07 billion this offseason on free agents Shohei Ohtani, Yamamoto, Teoscar Hernandez, Jason Heyward and Paxton, though almost all of Ohtani's deal is deferred. They also acquired Glasnow — along with outfielder Manuel Margot — in a trade and subsequently signed him to a five-year, $136.6 million extension.

The Dodgers' depth is enviable, but the question marks in their