Mariners aren’t expecting 30 starts from ex-Cat James Paxton

There are no limits this year on oft-injured lefty James Paxton in terms of starts or innings. Instead, Mariners Manager Scott Servais chooses to speak through a prism of viable expectations.

“I’d like to say he could go out there and take 30 starts,” Servais said, “but he hasn’t done it. I think you have to be realistic. If you think he’s going to run out there and throw 200 innings, make every start … it’s hard to count on that.”

Injuries limited Paxton, who pitched in college at the University of Kentucky, to a combined 141 big-league innings over the last two seasons. Add another 19 2/3 minor-league rehab innings in that span and another 29 1/3 last year in the Arizona Fall League.

That’s still only 190 total innings in two years.

Paxton contends he’s healthy and ready to take his turn every fifth game.

“It’s largely going to be up to the staff for what they want to let me do,” he said. “But I feel strong. I feel really good. I’m ready to go as deep as they’re going to let me.”

Servais is open to the possibility of Paxton making 30-plus starts — assuming Paxton wins a spot in the rotation. That’s no given; he is expected to battle right-hander Nathan Karns for the final spot.

“Would I love to see it? Yes,” Servais said. “You’ve got to monitor that as the season goes along. To sit down with (Paxton) now and say, ‘Here’s the (innings) plan …’ You do that on the minor-league side.

“But at the big leagues, it’s about today’s win. Today’s win is important. It’s a much different animal than dealing with this stuff in the minor leagues.”

The industry standard suggests a pitcher’s workload shouldn’t exceed 30 innings from the previous season. That would peg Paxton at around 140 innings for the upcoming season.

But Servais points to two factors in explaining why the Mariners are open to permitting Paxton to exceed that threshold.

“He’s not coming off Tommy John (elbow reconstruction),” Servais said. “He’s not a shoulder repair. It was a finger issue. He just hasn’t pitched much. We have to be very in-tuned to what his stuff is looking like and how his body is working.

“Do you have to skip him a start? That’s where (your organizational depth) come in. You do things like that to make it work.

“And it’s his 27-year-old season. It’s time for James to pitch.”

This story was originally published February 23, 2016 at 6:57 PM with the headline "Mariners aren’t expecting 30 starts from ex-Cat James Paxton."