Seattle Mariners: Big Maple is LEAFing M’s Rotation, the fallout
James Paxton is out for the season with an elbow injury. His latest departure has caused a domino effect on the Seattle Mariners rotation.
It didn’t take long. Not long at all. Only one start and 1 1/3 innings for Seattle Mariners starter James Paxton to get hurt and wind up on the Injured List. His nickname is Big Maple, but he hardly reflects a sturdy Maple tree. Paxton is more like an Ash Tree, brittle and easily broken.
Tuesday, the news came in that Big Ash is heading for a Tommy John surgery, thus ending his 2021 season. So, Big Ash is leafing the Mariners rotation.
Let’s first start with some of the items we know. First, the Mariners want to use a six-man rotation this year. Second, 2019 first-round draft pick Logan Gilbert is likely coming up to the M’s this year. As for the when, that information is TBD at this point. The biggest question is, what will manager Scott Servais and GM Jerry Dipoto do with the current group of Mariners pitchers?
We’re going to tackle each one of those topics based on the information we currently know. And what we can logically infer will happen. There are many different avenues for how the M’s navigate the loss of Paxton. But I think these three topics are the most important or at least the most interesting.
Adjustments
So, let’s start with the six-man rotation. On opening day, Marco Gonzales, Yusei Kikuchi, Chris Flexen, Justus Sheffield, James Paxton, and Justin Dunn were the chosen six. With Paxton’s departure, the M’s called up Ljay Newsome to fill the vacant roster spot.
Newsome replaces Nick Margevicius in the bullpen. That’s because Margevicius is taking Paxton’s spot in the rotation. Logical moves here, no doubt. Additionally, if Seattle needs to start a righty due to a particular matchup, Newsome can do the job.