Edwin Jackson will turn 38 in a month, but the well-traveled right-hander isn’t planning on retiring after his recent run with the United States Olympic roster and is open to signing with a big league club, tweets Jon Morosi of MLB.com.
Jackson a run in 3 2/3 innings between the qualifying rounds and the actual Olympic play as the U.S. eventually won a Silver Medal. He hasn’t pitched in the Majors since a rough 2019 campaign split between the Tigers and the Blue Jays. Jackson did sign with the D-backs in the 2019-20 offseason and also had an offer from the Mets that winter, but Arizona cut him loose rather than bringing him to its alternate site once play resumed last summer, and Jackson did not sign with another club.
That 2019 run between Detroit and Toronto saw Jackson yield 72 runs in 67 2/3 innings pitched, thanks largely to a whopping 23 homers allowed in that relatively short period of time. Home runs were a problem for pitchers throughout the league that season, as most believed the ball was juiced, but Jackson’s 3.06 HR/9 mark was nonetheless the second-highest of any pitcher in baseball (min. 50 innings pitched).
For as rough as Jackson’s 2019 season was, however, his 2018 work was every bit as solid. He tossed 92 innings with the A’s that year, working to a 3.33 ERA over the life of 17 starts. His 17.8 percent strikeout rate was below the league average, and his 9.7 percent walk rate was a bit high, but the results were obviously quite sound.
While it’s now been three years since Jackson’s last productive MLB run, it still wouldn’t be a surprise to see a club take a look on a minor league deal. The trade deadline has passed, and the elimination of revocable August trade waivers has left clubs with limited options to add depth. Jackson probably isn’t an option to step right into a big league rotation, but he could head to someone’s Triple-A club to stretch out or at least get some innings in the ’pen before emerging as an option a few weeks down the line. September rosters can no longer expand to 40 players, but the standard roster size will still grow from 26 to 28 players on Sept. 1.
Jackson is one of few notable free agents on the Team USA roster who could conceivably sign with a big league team as a depth candidate. David Robertson and Todd Frazier are also current big league free agents. Veteran lefty Scott Kazmir was also on the roster, but he accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A with the Giants after he cleared waivers back in June, so he remains under Giants control.
If Jackson does ultimately sign with a team and return to the Majors, he could potentially add to one of the more oddball records around the league; Jackson has pitched for 14 Major League teams, the most in MLB history.
Just in time to join the Cubs for their next rebuild.
Aaron Sanchez and Edwin Jackson to the Phillies. Dombrowski sign both guys.
E-Jax isnt worth a trial run this late in the year. Sanchez maybe.
I remembered like three years ago he pitched super well for Oakland. He could be in the minors for awhile and he performs well he could be a reliever for the Phillies. I think he would be better than Llovera.
I think I would be better than Llovera at this point.
Yeah but how do we know you’re not Aaron Nola?
Because I never considered myself an Ace.
Theo & Jed tried that, gave Jackson $13 mil per year, failed miserably.
No one wants you Edwin. Mediocre at best
Would be good on a rebuilding team (early in the rebuild like Chicago).
I picked the 2018 A’s to win the world series because of how good Jackson was pitching and my co worker heard me say it and asked me if I was high and I laughed and said yeah, nevermind look at what the Red Sox have
but no MLB team is open to his comeback
Chaim bloom might disagree. Sounds like the kinda crap retread move he’s open to
Depends on his spin rate. It’s the only metric Chaim looks at.
No, I don’t do retread moves
Is that why you brought in marwin gonzalez and franchy cordero? Or how about Danny Santana or Martin Perez?
Peraza said it all
Not really- he has made 318 career starts and has started and relieved. He is exactly the type of guy you wanted stashed in AAA in case you need an emergency starter in a September pennant race or need a mop up guy in a game it isnt worth taxing your bullpen.
It’s incredible actually that he has been able to pitch for parts of 17 seasons in the majors.
Come on Pirates, you gotta add another team to his list.
Texas, Kansas City, and Pittsburg are all bottom dwellers that could have a decent shot of giving him a shot to soak up some meaningless innings down the stretch.
Don’t forget the Rockies. They think they are still in the race and Jackson could get them the big push for a division title.
They think they’re still in the race? I know they’ve played better since the All Star break but with 3 NL West teams above them and the 3 best records in NL, LOL, there’s no chance.
Their owner apparently thinks that they are still in the race. No one else does.
It’s a joke VT
Please. The Rockies couldn’t push a shopping cart, let alone for a division title. Not even Edwin Jackson or Reggie Jackson could help that mess.
Do you think he would do that? He’s looking for a contender and I doubt he’ll find one.
He certainly isn’t any more homer prone than at least a few guys the Bucs have trotted out already this season.
I want the Yankees to sign him. Put him at Scranton- get him stretched out and they have an experienced emergency starter if they need one in September.
Somebody will get Robertson for Playoff Stretch.
mgomrjsurf – I’m surprised he has not been signed by the super team.
Hoping it’s the Yanks.
Could use a solid vet & another proven RH reliever in the mix.
Aren’t there 16 teams he hasn’t pitched for yet?
I was thinking the same thing, add to that record just to give announcers something to talk about when he makes appearances.
He’ll fit right in on Cardinals starting staff.
He helped them win a World Series once upon a time.
He can’t retire without adding a 15th team to the list. Being able to say you pitched for half of the teams in the league would be incredible.
I want this to happen simply so he can be waived after one appearance and claimed by other teams at least twice.
At the major league minimum I’d be open to a comeback—and i’ve never even been there.
Just go away.
Practice what you preach. ( I actually enjoy your posts most of the time, but this one was right there.)
As a Phillies fan, I hope the Braves or Mets bring him onboard for the stretch drive.
Mets will for sure
I love it
His whole baseball-reference page makes no sense
-debuted at 19 in 2003
-born in Germany
-started a World Series Game 4 and went 5 innings on a title winning team
-was an all-star
-had his 2nd best FIP the season he led the league in losses
I’ve always said that you have to be a pretty good pitcher to lead the league in losses. You have to be on a pretty bad team who doesn’t have a lot of options, and you have to be good enough to last the entire season in the rotation.
also had a 8 walk 149 p no hitter against a good hitting rays team.
And was then traded.
LL Cool J advises Jackson not to call it a comeback.
I would also like to announce to MLB that I also am open to pitching in the Major Leagues. I am 52 and my fastball topped out at 72 when I was in high school, but I thought Edwin shouldn’t be the only one open to miracles!!
Big Hurt, don’t forget to take your Nugenix!
It’s never too early or too late for Caltrate!
Tigers acquired him from the Rays for a decent outfielder, Matt Joyce, whose had an okay career. Flipping an outfielder for a good starting pitcher is probably a good trade. After one year, the Tigers traded him to the D-Backs in a three-team deal that netted Max Scherzer. Nice series of deals. The reunion with Jackson didn’t go so well however. Hard pass.
I still can’t believe that trade. Scherzer at the time wasn’t even the best player involved. The big get was supposed to be Curtis Granderson going to the Yankees.
Who would want him????
Maybe the Brewers because John Axford is injured and will be sidelined for the rest of the year.
The very definition of a “well-traveled” veteran. Rickey and the Crime Dog were still taking the field when Edwin threw his first MLB pitch. Rickey is 62. Yeah, Jackson’s been around the MLB block a while. The Mets should sign him, Big Sexy and what’s Jamie Moyer up to these days? There’s nothing like a little experience for that home stretch pennant drive. If they can’t have the best rotation why not shoot for the oldest. They could be openers for deGrom to get him deeper into games without extending his innings. They could do the same with Syndegaard. At least it would be entertaining.
the guy has a career ERA of 4.78, and he played 17 yrs of baseball in the major league level ? how is this guy getting that many opportunities ???
Mr. Jackson line 3 please, the O’s would like to speak with you.
Come on team #15!!!
Lets do this!
I, too, am open to signing with a big league club.
you beat me to it Gray!
As a Mets fan I am open to bringing in Jackson. Also I’m open to bringing back the Todd Father, he can play 3B better than Davis and can be a spark in the clubhouse for Conforto, Alonso, Nimmo, From Smith and McNeil.He was on the 2019 Mets when all these guys were hitting and having fun.
Edwin maybe get few ok starts. Frazier was released by Pirates. I am also a fan when he got here but he is done. That 2019 still makes zero sense.
The Mets don’t need a spark in the clubhouse; they need better players. It’s mystifying how Mets fans think that team has an elite offense. Do they pay attention to other teams?
Here’s a guy that probably would have been converted to a closer and been successful – not sure why he never was his fastball was electric when he came up
If you have a favorite baseball team, Edwin Jackson has probably played for it.
Edwin Jackson was done long ago and called as such when the Jays picked him up.
This article is one acknowledgement that there are too many teams and not enough quality pitchers to go around. MLB needs contraction.
I agree.
Perfect for the Mutts to sign another one and done
Jackson can be #3 in Pittsburgh’s rotation.
Oh come on now, that’s ridiculous! Number 4 maybe, but not #3. 😉
hey, he was pretty good in 2018
Jackson and Colon to rescue the Cubs rotation.
Seriously, dude, give it up, it’s over.
Moyer too.
Still has 16 teams he hasn’t played for yet
Gotta admire a guy who won’t give up.
Edwin should win this year’s Scott Kazmir award. Or is it the other way around?
I am not joking- teams will be lining up to sign him and he may get a nice payday. There is no more August 31 trading deadline- a team like the Yankees A’s and Redsox cant acquire a vet to make 5 starts in September. The only option is to have a guy like Jackson stashed at AAA. I wouldnt be surprised if a team signed Bartolo Colon either- just to have an option at AAA in case you need it come September. This is even more important because of COVID. If they continue with no August deadline going forward you will see guys like Jackson waiting to sign or having contracts where they can opt out if they are in the minors on July 15 because in thhe past these were precisely the type of guys who got traded in late August- a guy a team wanted 5-6 starts from down the stretch and depth in the playoffs.
Perfect for a rebuilding team. Rubber arm, innings eater, won’t cause you to move down in the draft.
Yes, perfect for a team going nowhere. Why waste service time on a minor leaguer?
Not an all time great pitcher but an iron man nonetheless. He has never been a long term plan for anyone so he was never treated with kid gloves. Last time in MLB he was still well up in the 90s and I don’t believe he has needed TJS?
Beats working for a living!