This article references James Paxton and more! Seattle Mariners starting pitcher James Paxton avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $4.9 million deal, according to a source. Paxton can be elite when healthy, as evidenced by his 2.97 ERA in 24 starts in 2017, as well as his career-high 12.5 percent swinging-strike rate. The main risk with the southpaw has been health, though, as he's never topped 200 innings in a single season.Keep on reading: Mariners, James Paxton Avoid Arbitration