PEORIA, Ariz. — Given what transpired on Monday with Felix Hernandez getting smacked in the arm by a line drive, it wouldn’t have been been surprising if the Mariners sent James Paxton to the mound for his first Cactus League start on Tuesday with a uniform made of bubble wrap or an protective L screen in front of the mound.
With their former ace ailing, the possibility of anything bad happening to Paxton, their budding ace, could potentially put manager Scott Servais in the fetal position in the corner of the dugout and general manager Jerry Dipoto scrambling to a free agent market he’s avoided this offseason.