Add the Houston Astros to the list of teams reportedly interested in Seattle Mariners left-handed starter James Paxton, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Since Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said he was open to "re-imagining" the roster earlier this offseason, Paxton has also drawn interest from the New York Yankees.
Paxton, 30, posted a 3.76 ERA and 3.24 FIP over 160 1/3 innings last season while collecting his first career no-hitter. The left-hander's 28 starts and 32.3 percent strikeout rate were both career highs. Paxton has two years of arbitration left before becoming eligible for free agency following the 2020 campaign.
The Astros - a division rival of the Mariners - had one of the best starting rotations in all of baseball last year. As a group, Houston's starting staff authored a 3.16 ERA and 3.28 FIP, ranking first by both metrics, thanks to a breakout season from last year's acquisition Gerrit Cole, and yet another Cy Young-caliber campaign from Justin Verlander.
However, Houston will likely have a much different rotation in 2019, with Lance McCullers Jr. undergoing Tommy John surgery and both Dallas Keuchel and Charlie Morton eligible for free agency this winter.
