The Braves announced that they have signed right-hander Edwin Jackson. The Legacy Agency client will receive a Major League contract, and MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets that he will step directly into the big league bullpen. The Cubs released Jackson earlier this year.
Jackson, 31, was released midway through the third season of a four-year, $52MM contract signed prior to the 2013 campaign. The contract went south for the Cubs almost immediately, as Jackson’s first year with Chicago resulted in a 4.98 ERA over 175 1/3 innings. Things worsened for Jackson in 2014, when he finished the season with a sky-high 6.33 ERA in 140 2/3 innings.
Jackson spent the 2015 season as a reliever with the Cubs, working to a solid 3.19 ERA with 6.7 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 45.3 percent ground-ball rate. A good deal of that work came in low-leverage situations, but the results were positive nonetheless, and his fastball velocity remained very solid, averaging 94.2 mph upon moving to a relief role.