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Orioles Sign Edwin Jackson

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April 7: Jackson passed his physical, and the Orioles have now announced the deal.

April 5: The Orioles have agreed to a minor-league deal with veteran righty Edwin Jackson, according to Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun. The agreement is still pending a physical.

It is anticipated that Jackson will head to the upper minors after a stint in extended Spring Training. He figures to take up a spot in the O’s rotation and/or relief depth charts. If Jackson does reach the majors and hits all his incentives, he could earn as much as $2.45MM, per Encina, who adds that there’s a June 1st opt-out date.

Once a solid starter, the 33-year-old Jackson has not found much success since he joined the Cubs as a free agent before the 2013 season. Since that time, he has recorded a 5.33 ERA with 7.1 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 over 455 2/3 innings. He also showed a decline in his average fastball velocity last year, falling to 91.7 mph after typically sitting in the 93 mph range in recent years.

AL Notes: Brantley, Jackson, Latos, Jays

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Hopes are riding high for the Indians, but the health of Michael Brantley remains a major wild card for the organization. Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer reports on where things stand as camp opens. As was the case last year, Cleveland intends to proceed cautiously as Brantley ramps up from shoulder surgery. This time, though, there’ll be even more caution given the setbacks he experienced in 2016. Swinging the bat in game conditions seems to have caused Brantley’s problems last time around, Hoynes explains, so the team is taking the long view in helping the injured star to find a way to compete without aggravating his damaged joint.

Here’s more from the American League:

  • The Rangers watched veteran righty Edwin Jackson throw yesterday but decided against offering him a contract, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports on Twitter. Jackson, 33, struggled in stints last year with the Marlins and Padres, working to a cumulative 5.89 ERA with 6.5 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 over 84 innings. He exhibited a notable velocity drop, delivering a career-low 91.7 mph average fastball, though he did still manage a 9.4% swinging-strike rate that landed in range of his career norms.
  • The Blue Jays also showed some interest, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca (via Twitter), but appear to have moved on after adding Mat Latos. As Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi further reports, Latos says he’s “willing to do whatever I need to do,” expressing a willingness to work from the rotation, out of the pen, or even at Triple-A. “I’ve got a lot of earning I need to do,” he said, “and I need to earn everything as it comes.” GM Ross Atkins, meanwhile, says he’s “excited” to bring Latos into camp, noting that the organization is hopeful he’ll earn a MLB job and wasn’t motivated to try to stash him in the minors.
  • Indeed, the Blue Jays now seem largely set with their roster more generally, as Atkins further told Davidi. Per the general manager, the organization is still looking into trade opportunities, but sees additional signings as “unlikely.” Toronto also doesn’t appear inclined to further bolster its rotation mix, with Atkins calling it “a tough sell” to add a starter given the team’s existing stock.

Quick Hits: Cespedes, Matheny, Lyons, Padres

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This offseason’s Yoenis Cespedes sweepstakes could come down to the Mets, Nationals, Giants and Blue Jays, Mike Puma of the New York Post writes. A return to New York makes sense, but only if the Mets are willing to make a commitment long enough to lure Cespedes back, Puma writes. The Nats competed for Cespedes last year, but this winter, signing Cespedes would require them to move Bryce Harper back to center field. The Giants, meanwhile, have an outfield opening with Angel Pagan set to depart, and the Blue Jays have a number of key offensive free agents, although it’s unclear whether they’ll seek to add a new talent as expensive as Cespedes will likely be. Here’s more from around the game.

  • Extending Mike Matheny (which the Cardinals did on Thursday) was a logical choice, Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. The Cards have had five straight winning seasons to begin Matheny’s tenure, and his previous three-year deal would have made him a lame duck for the 2017 season. Many Cardinals fans aren’t sold on Matheny, but Hochman thinks Matheny could improve his reputation by being more open with the press, the way Joe Maddon or Terry Francona are.
  • Cardinals GM John Mozeliak says lefty Tyler Lyons’ knee injury is “not responding as quickly as we hoped,” via Hochman. Lyons spent the previous three seasons bouncing back and forth between the rotation and bullpen. He pitched 2016 entirely as a reliever was in the midst of a solid campaign (3.38 ERA, 8.6 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 in 48 innings) before he missed the last two months with a stress reaction. He is out of options in the spring.
  • The Padres have “some interest” in retaining Adam Rosales, Jon Jay, Clayton Richard and Edwin Jackson, but will not be extending qualifying offers to any of them, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. That comes as no surprise, since none of them profile as the kinds of upper-echelon players who typically get qualifying offers. Nonetheless, several of them were useful for the Padres in 2016. Rosales and Jay were both solid complementary pieces — Rosales hit a surprising 13 home runs in 248 plate appearances while playing six positions, and Jay produced a fine .339 OBP, although he missed two months with a fractured forearm. Richard, too, helped after arriving as a free agent in August, posting a 2.52 ERA in 53 2/3 innings down the stretch, although with underwhelming peripherals. Of the four, only Jackson clearly struggled, with a 5.89 ERA, 6.6 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 73 1/3 innings. Jackson has voiced interest in returning to the Padres next season.

NL Notes: Flores, Phillies, Jackson

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Mets infielder Wilmer Flores will be out the rest of the season, Mike Puma of the New York Post writes. Flores injured his wrist in a home-plate collision three weeks ago. “I’ve been trying for a few weeks, but the bottom line is I can’t swing,” Flores said. “I’m frustrated. I can’t go out there like that.” Even if the Mets were to advance as far as the World Series, they would probably be reluctant to use Flores after so much time away from game action. Flores has hit .267/.319/.469 this season, including a terrific .340/.383/.710 against lefties. He’s played all four infield positions this season. In particular, he gave the Mets a strong option at first base against left-handed pitching, as Puma notes. Both the Mets’ current first basemen, Lucas Duda and James Loney, are left-handed. Here’s more from the NL.

  • Manager Pete Mackanin met with various members of the Phillies’ front office Friday to discuss the team’s plans for the offseason, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com writes. Afterwards, Mackanin reiterated his desire for the organization to acquire a veteran bat or two, although he sounded realistic about how far the rebuilding Phils might be willing to go to find additional hitting talent. “I would like to get a good solid proven hitter somewhere on the field,” Mackanin said. “Where that is right now will be determined by who is available and what kind of a deal, if any, they could make. And if not we’ll try to find something from within that we think can help us or somebody could make a great impression in the spring. There’s so many ways to do that.” As Zolecki points out, the Phillies are likely more than one or two players away from being contenders, and so, as previous reporting has indicated, the Phillies might not want to spend heavily on moves designed to improve the 2017 team.
  • Veteran righty Edwin Jackson is set for free agency at the end of the season, but he’s interested in returning to the Padres, as MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell writes. “It’s definitely a place I’d like to come back to,” says Jackson. “A lot of positives and a lot of upside to the future of the organization. It’d be fun to be a part of it toward the end of my career.” Whether the Padres would have interest in Jackson is unclear, but he’s unlikely to be a sought-after free agent this winter after posting a 5.89 ERA, 6.5 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 84 innings with San Diego and Miami.

Padres To Sign Edwin Jackson

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The Padres have agreed to a deal with righty Edwin Jackson, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). It’s a minor league pact, Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets.

The 32-year-old was released recently by the Marlins, who had signed him over the winter to work from the bullpen and provide rotation depth. Jackson ultimately pitched to a 5.91 ERA over 10 2/3 frames, striking out seven and issuing six walks.

The Cubs are still paying Jackson under his four-year, $52MM free agent contract. That’s offset, but not by much, to account for Jackson’s earnings with other organizations. Miami is obligated for a league-minimum hit after inking Jackson to a major league deal. San Diego will also pay Jackson at the lowest possible rate for whatever time he spends in the majors.

 

Marlins Release Edwin Jackson

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SATURDAY: Jackson cleared waivers and has been given his unconditional release, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).

TUESDAY: The Marlins have designated righty Edwin Jackson for assignment, the club announced. His roster spot will go to southpaw Mike Dunn, who will be activated from the DL for the first time this season.

Jackson, 32, signed on with Miami on a league-minimum MLB deal over the winter. He had previously been released by the Cubs, who are still paying out the final season of the four-year, $52MM contract he inked with Chicago before the 2013 campaign.

While the 14-year veteran had solid results last year working out of the pen, he’s scuffled to a 5.91 ERA in 10 2/3 innings thus far in 2016. Jackson has managed just seven strikeouts against six walks in his eight appearances on the year.

Meanwhile, the 31-year-old Dunn will be looking to bounce back from a tough 2015 season and forearm issues earlier this year. He was one of the game’s more effective left-handed relievers over 2013-14, when he compiled a 2.89 earned run average in 124 2/3 innings, with 10.0 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9. Dunn is in his final season of arbitration eligibility.

NL East Notes: Klentak, Marlins, Maddux, Moore, Drew

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Here’s the latest from around the NL East…

  • Phillies GM Matt Klentak has already been through rebuilding (while with the Orioles) and spending on big free agents (while with the Angels) in previous front office jobs, and he tells Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer that he hopes both experiences will help him in the initial and latter stages of the Phils’ rebuild.  Perhaps Klentak’s best example of a successful rebuild, however, is how his own team rebuilt in the early 2000’s to form the core of the squad that won five NL East titles and the 2008 World Series.
  • Edwin Jackson is battling some younger arms to win a spot in the Marlins rotation, and the veteran righty tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that he has unfinished business as a starting pitcher.  “I still look at myself as a starter.  There’s still something I want to prove to myself, not to anyone else,” Jackson said.  Pitching exclusively as a reliever in 2015, Jackson posted a 3.07 ERA, 1.9 K/BB rate and 6.5 K/9 over 55 2/3 innings, though advanced metrics indicate he was perhaps a bit fortunate to manage such a low ERA.  Still, it was a big improvement over Jackson’s rough previous two seasons in the Cubs rotation and now he’s hoping to rebound in Miami.
  • In another item from Jackson, Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill expects big things from his lineup, saying he’d “put our position player talent against anybody in the National League.”  Miami scored the second-fewest runs in baseball last season, yet Hill expects a big improvement thanks to Barry Bonds’ contributions as hitting coach, more development from young players and better health (most notably in the case of Giancarlo Stanton).
  • Pitching coach Mike Maddux may prove to be the Nationals’ best offseason acquisition, the Washington Post’s Thomas Boswell writes.  Hiring the very well-regarded Maddux represents a new step for the franchise, as Boswell notes the Nationals have rarely invested much money in managers or coaching staffs.
  • Tyler Moore took some grounders at third base seemingly just as a routine drill, though as MASNsports.com’s Mark Zuckerman writes, versatility at a new position could help save Moore’s job.  Moore is out of options and faces a roster crunch to make the Nationals’ Opening Day roster.  Learning the hot corner is easier said than done, of course, especially since Moore has never played anywhere besides first, left or right in his eight-year professional career.
  • Stephen Drew knows how being a qualifying offer free agent can impact one’s market, so the new Nationals infielder tells MLB.com’s Bill Ladson that he sympathizes with what Ian Desmond is going through as the former Nat continues to look for a new team.  After rejecting the QO in the 2013-14 offseason, Drew didn’t find a contract until May, re-signing with the Red Sox (notably, the only team that weren’t required to give up a draft pick to sign him).  As you might expect, Drew is all for changes to the qualifying offer rule in the upcoming collective bargaining talks.  “The union has to do a good job going over that rule and check out what we can come up with. As players, we probably want to get rid of it. We need to really take a look at the way the logistics are,” Drew said.

Marlins Designate Tommy Medica, Andre Rienzo

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The Marlins have designated infielder Tommy Medica and righty Andre Rienzo for assignment, according to a club announcement. The moves were made to clear 40-man space for the signings of Chris Johnson and Edwin Jackson, both of which were made official.

Medica, 27, was claimed late last season. He might have had a chance to compete for playing time as a right-handed-hitting bench bat, but Miami seems set to give that role to Johnson. Medica struggled at the Triple-A level last year. He owns a .246/.308/.417 batting line over 338 major league plate appearances.

Likewise, the 27-year-old Rienzo was displaced by the addition of Jackson. Both players profile as swingmen, and Miami obviously decided to give Jackson the first crack at that role. Rienzo has thrown 140 1/3 MLB frames, working to a 5.90 ERA with 6.7 K/9 against 4.7 BB/9.

Marlins Sign Edwin Jackson

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SATURDAY: The deal is now complete, Heyman tweets. Heyman also adds that Jackson will receive a full no-trade clause, which is somewhat remarkable given Jackson’s situation. Of course, the Marlins will only pay Jackson $507.5K, so the no-trade clause shouldn’t be a significant hindrance to the Marlins.

MONDAY 11:33pm: There’s a deal in place pending physical, per Jon Heyman (via Twitter).

1:50pm: The Marlins are nearing an agreement on a Major League contract with right-hander Edwin Jackson, reports MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro (via Twitter). Miami was first reported to have interest in the 32-year-old Legacy Agency client last week. Because Jackson is still slated to be paid $13MM from the Cubs in the final season of his four-year, $52MM contract with Chicago, he’d only cost Miami the league minimum, which would be subtracted from the sum owed to Jackson by the Cubs.

While Jackson’s contract with the Cubs will go down as a bust, he rather quietly enjoyed a strong season split between the Chicago and Atlanta bullpens last year. In 47 relief appearances totaling 55 2/3 innings, Jackson posted a 3.07 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 3.4 BB/9 and a 41.1 percent ground-ball rate. His 93.9 mph average fastball was his strongest mark of the past four seasons, although that shouldn’t come as a surprise when factoring in the move to short relief stints. When previously linked to Jackson, the Marlins were said to be considering him for their rotation, though one has to imagine that a relief role is a possibility as well, should a deal ultimately be agreed upon.

The addition of Jackson, Frisaro tweets, will not preclude the Marlins from continuing to search for upgrades to their pitching staff. Perhaps, then, the Marlins are merely looking at Jackson as depth for the rotation that can be transferred to the bullpen in the event that another arm is acquired either via free agency or trade. Relying on Jackson as a fallback rather than a set-in-stone rotation member would seem a reasonable course of action for Miami, who entered the day with a rotation picture consisting of Jose Fernandez, Jarred Cosart, Adam Conley, Tom Koehler and one of David Phelps or Justin Nicolino.

Latest On Marlins’ Rotation Search

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The Marlins still hope to add a starting pitcher to their rotation and have internally discussed some potential bargain options such as Doug Fister, Cliff Lee and Edwin Jackson, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Jackson adds a wrinkle to the Marlins’ reported attempt at acquiring Aroldis Chapman (before his trade to the Yankees), noting that the team had considered inserting Chapman into its rotation.

All three of the free agents listed by Jackson are probably in line for one-year deals. As a four-time All-Star and former Cy Young winner, the 37-year-old Lee comes with the highest ceiling but also quite a bit of risk after missing the 2015 season with a torn flexor tendon. He’s reportedly seeking a one-year deal with a winning team as he attempts to revive his career.

Fister was one of the game’s more underrated pitchers from 2011-14, when he posted a 3.11 ERA with 6.5 K/9 against 1.7 BB/9 in 750 2/3 innings with the Mariners, Tigers and Nationals. However, 2015 was a much different tale, as Fister’s average fastball velocity dipped from about 89 mph to 86 mph. The diminished heater undoubtedly contributed to what was the worst full season of Fister’s career; the 31-year-old (32 in February) logged a 4.60 ERA across 15 starts before losing his rotation spot and experiencing better results in the bullpen.

As for Jackson, he’s coming off a disappointing tenure with the Cubs. Signed to a four-year, $52MM contract prior to the 2013 season, Jackson posted a 5.58 ERA in 316 innings out of the Cubs’ rotation in his first two seasons in Chicago. In 2015, he quietly rebounded in the bullpen, pitching to a 3.07 ERA with 6.5 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 in 54 2/3 innings between the Cubs and Braves. It’s been quiet on the Jackson front this offseason, but he’ll presumably receive interest both as a reliever and as a starter following his solid bullpen work between Chicago and Atlanta. If he does prefer to reestablish himself as a starter — and at 32, there’s plenty of time for that — Miami seemingly wouldn’t be a bad place to take a shot. Marlins Park has been a pitcher-friendly environment since opening in 2012, although the Marlins are altering the dimensions this offseason, which could remove some of the pitchers’ advantage. Jackson would be a low-cost addition for any club that signed him, as he’s still owed $13MM from the Cubs this season, so he’d only cost a club the league minimum and a roster spot.

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