3 ex-Yankees who signed this week we're glad the Mets avoided

2) The Mets were right to pass on James Paxton

James Paxton wasn’t an option for the Mets any longer with their rotation filled unless they had some plan to move Adrian Houser to the bullpen. Paxton inked a one-year deal worth $11 million with an additional $1 million available to him. He’ll pitch for the Los Angeles Dodgers, or at least hope to.

Paxton’s 19 starts for the Boston Red Sox last year yielded very average results. In 96 innings he was 7-5 with a 4.50 ERA. After missing all of 2022 and tossing just 1.1 innings in 2021, Paxton apparently showed enough for the Dodgers to add him to their super team.

If Luis Severino’s health scares you, Paxton should have you shivering in a fire. He has never made 30 starts in a season with just a pair over 25. Durability is certainly a question. So is ability itself.

Paxton’s career numbers still look solid thanks in large part to how much time he has missed post-2019. Somehow still owning a 3.68 ERA lifetime despite finishing most seasons above it, Big Maple was hopefully never even a consideration for the Mets.

Instead, we got Severino and maybe a better comparison, Sean Manaea. At the very least, Manaea has stayed on the field and can give the Mets relief innings. For Paxton, he has been mostly absent for several years. Even Severino was good in his abbreviated 2022 campaign.