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Nationals, Edwin Jackson Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Nationals have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Edwin Jackson, reports Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post (via Twitter).  The 33-year-old Jackson, who is represented by the Legacy Agency, will report to Triple-A Syracuse for the time being.

This will mark the second tour of duty for Jackson with the Nationals, as he previously enjoyed a solid 2012 season as a member of the Nats’ rotation back in 2012. That year — the last in which he turned in quality results as a starter over the course of a full season — saw Jackson toss 189 1/3 innings with a 4.03 ERA, 8.0 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 47.4 percent ground-ball rate.

Jackson parlayed that season into an ill-fated four-year, $52MM contract with the Cubs, though he only made it through two and a half seasons in Chicago before being released. During the third season of that contract (2015), Jackson did manage to post a very respectable 3.07 ERA through 56 2/3 innings between the Cubs and Braves while working exclusively out of the bullpen. His secondary stats were a bit more questionable, however, and he wasn’t able to repeat that success in 2016 with the Padres.

The Nats will hope that Jackson can prove to have something left in the tank, possibly to help out a beleaguered bullpen that has been the club’s definitive Achilles heel all season.

Edwin Jackson Elects Free Agency

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Right-hander Edwin Jackson has cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Orioles and has elected free agency, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.

The veteran Jackson’s time with the Orioles proved to be brief. After pushing an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Orioles from June 1 back to June 5, the 33-year-old triggered that clause, prompting the Orioles to place him on the big league roster. However, he’d appear in just three games and total a mere five innings with the O’s. In that time, Jackson surrendered four earned runs (seven total runs) on 11 hits and four walks with two strikeouts.

Jackson was solid with Baltimore’s Triple-A affiliate, posting a 3.10 ERA with 17 strikeouts against 10 walks in 20 1/3 innings. And he, of course, comes with plenty of big league experience under his belt. Jackson had a productive season as recently as 2015, when he notched a 3.07 earned run average with 6.5 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 in 55 2/3 frames between the Cubs and Braves. In all, he’s compiled a 4.65 ERA with 6.9 K/9 against 3.6 BB/9 in 1729 1/3 Major League innings. Jackson, one of the most well-traveled players in Major League history, has now appeared for 12 different big league teams, leaving him one Major League club shy of tying the record 13 franchises for which Octavio Dotel appeared in his career.

Orioles Designate Edwin Jackson For Assignment

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The Orioles have announced that they’ve selected the contract of righty Jimmy Yacabonis from Triple-A Norfolk and recalled fellow righty Logan Verrett from Norfolk. To clear space, they’ve optioned righty Stefan Crichton from Norfolk and designated righty Edwin Jackson for assignment.

The moves bring two fresh arms to a bullpen that was forced to pitch 7 2/3 innings in a blowout loss to the Yankees yesterday. Crichton and Jackson pitched 3 2/3 of those innings, allowing five runs between them.

The O’s selected Jackson’s contract just four days ago. His brief action with the Orioles was his first in the big leagues since posting a 5.89 ERA, 6.5 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 84 innings with the Marlins and Padres last season. The veteran has now appeared with 12 big-league teams over the course of his 15-year career.

The 25-year-old Yacabonis had an 0.90 ERA over 30 innings with Norfolk, but with an alarming 5.4 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9. As those numbers suggest, control has never been a strong suit for him throughout his five-year minor-league career. MLB.com ranks him 29th among Orioles prospects, noting that he relies heavily on a 93-95 MPH fastball. As David Hall of the Virginian-Pilot notes, Yacabonis continues to work on the development of a hybrid slider-curve that could prove key to his development going forward. He has never pitched in the big leagues.

Orioles Select Contract Of Edwin Jackson

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2:35pm: The Orioles have announced the move. Left-hander Donnie Hart has been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, leaving Richard Bleier as the lone southpaw in manager Buck Showalter’s bullpen.

8:33am: The Orioles will select the contract of veteran right-hander Edwin Jackson, reports Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. The team has an open 40-man spot after outrighting left-hander Paul Fry last week, so the team need only make a corresponding 25-man roster move.

Jackson’s minor league deal with Baltimore contained a June 1 opt-out date that he agreed to push back to this past Monday, as Encina originally reported. By triggering that clause, Jackson gave the O’s 48 hours to add him to the Major League roster or grant him his release, and the team has opted for the former option.

Through 20 1/3 innings with the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk, the 33-year-old Jackson has turned in a very solid 3.10 ERA with 7.5 K/9, 4.4 BB/9 and a 32.1 percent ground-ball rate. He’s been particularly effective lately, with three straight scoreless appearances — a total of 5 2/3 innings. Jackson has worked primarily in a multi-inning relief role with the Tides and is likely to occupy that same role initially with the Orioles, per Encina. Baltimore does have some instability in its rotation, however, so it’s at least feasible that Jackson could return to a starting gig down the line if he performs well out of the ’pen.

Notably, the Orioles will be the 12th Major League team for which Jackson will appear in his career. That puts him just one club shy of the Major League record, which is currently held by Octavio Dotel, who played for 13 teams. Jackson has previously suited up for the Dodgers, Rays, Tigers, D-backs, White Sox, Cardinals, Nationals, Cubs, Braves, Marlins and Padres. In 1724 1/3 innings at the Major League level, he has a career 4.65 ERA with 6.9 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 44 percent ground-ball rate.

AL East Notes: Jackson, Devers, Ellsbury, Fowler

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The Orioles’ decision to outright left-hander Paul Fry over the weekend could be a precursor to adding veteran righty Edwin Jackson to the big league roster, writes Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun. Jackson had an opt-out clause in his contract for June 1 but agreed to push that date back to today as the team took a bit more time to make its decision. Jackson’s lack of minor league options is a strike against him, Encina notes, as the O’s have liberally shuffled relievers back and forth from Triple-A Norfolk and Baltimore this season. However, his ability to throw multiple innings in relief and recent effectiveness could make up for that fact. Jackson has tossed 5 2/3 scoreless frames with four strikeouts and no walks across his past three outings and has a 3.10 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9 on the year as a whole. If he does trigger his opt-out, the Orioles would have 48 hours to add him to the roster or release him.

Elsewhere in the AL East…

  • ESPN’s Buster Olney spoke to a talent evaluator from a rival club who recently watched Red Sox prospect Rafael Devers and came away convinced that the 20-year-old’s size and conditioning won’t allow him to stick at third base in the long run. While that’s just one opinion — Baseball America wrote this offseason that Devers’ glovework has improved, for instance — the lack of certainty isn’t great for a Boston club that has a murky third base picture in the long term thanks to Pablo Sandoval’s struggles and Brock Holt’s injuries. As Olney notes, Devers’ defense will also impact how other clubs view him in potential trade discussions as well.
  • Jacoby Ellsbury will see a neurologist today after a recurrence of his concussion symptoms led to a shutdown from baseball activities over the weekend, writes George A. King III of the New York Post. The Yankees have the outfield depth to withstand a lengthy absence from Ellsbury, who was off to a fine start on the year, but they’re currently utilizing converted infielder Rob Refsnyder in that mix. Mason Williams would offer a better defensive option should the Yanks need a long-term option, King suggests. In a separate piece, he notes that the team doesn’t love the idea of promoting prospect Dustin Fowler if there aren’t everyday at-bats for him at an outfield slot. With Aaron Hicks, Brett Gardner and Aaron Judge all playing well, there doesn’t seem to be a place for Fowler right now, despite his .300/.335/.563 batting line through 225 Triple-A plate appearances.

Reliever Notes: Jackson, Benoit, Smith

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The Orioles and Edwin Jackson have agreed to extend his opt-out date to Monday, Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports (Twitter links).  The veteran righty’s original opt-out date on his minor league deal was June 1, but Jackson will now have 24 hours after 11:59pm ET on Monday to decide on exercising his out clause.  The O’s will then have 48 hours to either add Jackson to their Major League roster or release him.  Though Jackson has spent the bulk of his 14-year MLB career as a starting pitcher, he has only started one of his 11 games for Triple-A Norfolk this season.  Jackson has a 3.26 ERA in 19 1/3 IP, though with some rather middling peripherals (7.0 K/9, 4.7 BB/9).  Pedro Alvarez also arranged a short extension his opt-out date, so it seems like the Orioles are still trying to buy themselves time to decide if or how some of their minor league veteran depth pieces can be retained.

Here’s some more on some bullpen arms…

  • The Phillies have placed right-hander Joaquin Benoit on the 10-day DL (retroactive to June 1) with a left knee sprain, the team announced.  Benoit has a 3.68 ERA over 22 innings for the Phils, though his advanced metrics (such as a .167 BABIP, 7.77 K/9 and 4.91 BB/9) indicate some good fortune.  He had a short-lived stint at Philadelphia’s closer after Jeanmar Gomez’s struggles and before Hector Neris ultimately took over the role.  The veteran Benoit signed a one-year, $7.5MM deal with the Phillies last winter and projects as a trade candidate this summer, provided he makes a successful return from injury.
  • Carson Smith is scheduled to throw a bullpen session this weekend and a live batting practice sometime this week in advance of a minor league rehab assignment, CSNNE.com’s Evan Drellich reports.  As Smith tells Drellich, June was the target date for Smith’s return from his Tommy John surgery over a year ago, and the right-hander seems to be on track to finally make his Red Sox debut.

Opt-Out Notes: Alvarez, Frieri, Jackson

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June 1 is a popular day for minor league contracts to include opt-out provisions, meaning a number of veteran players that have been vying for a big league opportunity down in Triple-A have the option of asking for their release and seeking a new contract in free agency. Former Mets prospect Cesar Puello already did so earlier today, opting out of his deal with the Rangers. Here are a few more opt-out notes from around the league…

  • Alvarez confirms to Hall that he and the Orioles have worked out “an extension” of his opt-out date, though he declined to specify the date of his new opt-out clause (Twitter link). At any rate, he’ll remain with the Orioles at Triple-A for a bit longer.

Earlier Updates

  • Pedro Alvarez and the Orioles have come to what Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com describes as a “temporary resolution” to his opt-out decision. The 30-year-old slugger, who has been on an absolute tear over the past two weeks, is remaining with the team in Triple-A for now, though Connolly notes that it’s not quite clear exactly what the new arrangement entails. (Restructuring an opt-out date is fairly common, sometimes agreeing to a later opt-out date and in some instances allowing a player to leave the organization should another club offer a Major League opportunity.) Connolly also notes that Alvarez’s experiment in the outfield hasn’t gone well, and the O’s are considering him a left-handed-hitting DH at this point, which makes it even more difficult for him to make his way to the big league roster.
  • Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that former big league closer Ernesto Frieri decided not to exercise the June 1 opt-out in his minors pact with the Yankees (Twitter link). Frieri, 32 next month, has turned in a very strong 3.00 ERA with a 24-to-9 K/BB ratio, seven saves and a 33.3 percent ground-ball rate through 21 innings with the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate. The back of the New York bullpen is strong, even with Aroldis Chapman on the DL at present, but the middle-relief scene is a bit more muddled, so it’s conceivable that Frieri could eventually earn a look in the bigs for the first time since 2015.
  • Right-hander Edwin Jackson, who is also with the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk, told David Hall of the Virginian Pilot this afternoon that he has not yet made a decision (Twitter link). Jackson, who has been working out of the bullpen, tossed three shutout innings of relief last night and is sporting a 3.26 ERA with 15 strikeouts against 10 walks in 19 1/3 innings. He’ll have to make a decision by day’s end unless his representatives can come to some kind of alternative arrangement (as Alvarez appears to have done).

Orioles Notes: Castillo, Alvarez, Jackson, Andino

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The Orioles placed catcher Welington Castillo on the 10-day DL this afternoon after he suffered a groin injury that stemmed from a ball that deflected off the foot of Didi Gregorius when Gregorius was hit by a pitch yesterday. As MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko writes, Castillo spent several hours in the emergency room yesterday, though the injury is “not nearly as serious” as the testicular injury suffered by Caleb Joseph last year that cost Joseph a month of the season and required surgery. “He’s got a hematoma there in his groin that we’re going to monitor and see how it progresses,” manager Buck Showalter told reporters (via Kubatko). The O’s debated whether they should even put Castillo on the DL, per Kubatko, as the current belief is that he won’t require 10 days.

A few more notes on the Orioles…

  • Kubatko also points out (on Twitter) that Pedro Alvarez has an opt-out clause in his contract tomorrow. The 30-year-old slugger entered play today hitting just .219/.293/.443 through 51 games, though he belted his 12th homer of the season in today’s game. That continues an outrageous tear for Alvarez, who has now homered eight times in his past 13 games and is hitting well over .300 in that stretch. Alvarez has been trying his hand in right field with Baltimore’s Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk, though most teams would likely still view him as a first base/designated hitter candidate.
  • I’ll also point out that the minor league deal that veteran right-hander Edwin Jackson inked with the Orioles back in April reportedly contained a June 1 opt-out provision as well (according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun). While Jackson has had issues with his control down in Norfolk, he’s logged a 3.86 ERA with 14 strikeouts through 16 1/3 innings. Of course, he’s also issued 10 walks, hit two batters and uncorked a pair of wild pitches, so there are plenty of red flags with the mercurial righty.
  • The league announced today that veteran infielder Robert Andino, who was playing with Baltimore’s Triple-A affiliate, has been hit with a 50-game suspension after testing positive for Amphetamine. The 33-year-old Andino logges his first 13 games in the Majors since 2013 last season and was off to a .234/.282/.375 start through 2016 plate appearances in Triple-A.

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.

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