The Braves have won their arbitration hearing against right-hander Luke Jackson, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (Twitter link). He’ll be paid at the $3.6MM rate submitted by the team, as opposed to the $4MM rate filed by Jackson and his representatives.
Jackson won’t pitch this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last month, although that factor shouldn’t have impacted his hearing outcome. Arbitration panels evaluate the cases of the team and player based on prior seasons’ performance. Hearings are typically conducted in early to mid-February, if necessary, but the 99-day lockout this offseason got in the way of arbitration proceedings and forced teams and players into the uncomfortable situation of resolving discrepancies of this nature while games are being played.
The 30-year-old Jackson has had a roller-coaster career with the Braves but enjoyed perhaps his finest season in 2021, pitching 63 2/3 innings of 1.98 ERA ball and piling up 31 holds as the team’s primary setup man. He fanned 26.8% of his opponents with a strong 52.5% grounder rate, both of which helped to offset an unpalatable 11.1% walk rate. Jackson struggled considerably in 2020 but otherwise has ranged from a serviceable to high-quality bullpen piece, evidenced by a combined 3.93 ERA in 254 innings from 2017-21.
Unfortunately for Jackson, he won’t have the chance to bolster his earning power with a repeat of last year’s performance. It’s particularly poor timing — not that there’s “good” timing for a major injury and surgery — given that Jackson has five-plus years of Major League service and is slated to become a free agent for the first time following the 2022 season. He could still garner interest on a Major League deal, especially since his surgery was performed so early in the season, but the type of multi-year deal he might’ve commanded upon replicating his 2021 output is no longer feasible.
The Braves have now won hearings over two of their arbitration-eligible players, as they also topped Austin Riley in a hearing last week. They still have unresolved cases against lefty Max Fried ($6.6MM vs. $6.85MM), shortstop Dansby Swanson ($9.2MM vs. $10MM) and outfielder Adam Duvall ($9.275MM vs. $10.275MM).
The Braves won two arbitration hearing this season – they also only won 2 series this season.
Time to rebuild!
Yeah bud. Just like the Braves fans wanted Riley traded for peanuts a year ago. Would’ve been NO 2021 World Series Championship with Riley.
*without*
You mean without Soler, Rosario, and Freeman.
I don’t know about Riley but they need to get rid of 4-9, with Swanson/TD the only guys I’d keep of the bunch. One day Albies’s value will rise when they implement the designated infielder – otherwise, he is a terrible hitter
I thought Freddie would never get a ring with Atlanta….
Thank G-d for Rosario and Soler I guess. The point was, he was/is important to this team. But he left, and he made the smart call. The Braves are currently witnessing the loss with Olson being as terrible as everyone else with men on. I bet if Freeman was on this team, they would be at least .500 by now, considering all the runs he would have driven in when Olson didn’t.
ATL didn’t get past .500 til August last year, *with* Freeman. Olson will probably come around once Acuña plays regularly.
Imagine if they had Madbum, probably be undefeated.
This is also the time when their mid-season acquisitions (Rosario, Soler, Pederson) played too….which seems to be continuously ignored despite me mentioning it. They turned it around because of these guys and these guys carried them (w/Freeman) in the postseason. The other guys,,, played a part but nowhere near the amount to help the team win in the postseason. Again, this team is bad again just like the first half and it is no coincidence. It is a pattern.
Albies is a terrible hitter but the Braves will not get rid of him unfortunately so I won’t bring him up. Ozuna, Duvall, and maybe Swanson need to go. Swanson is the guy I’ll keep but if the Braves are out of it, he is gone in the summer.
Yeah, imo they need to make a Xander-sized splash, instead of just nibbling around the edges. The odds of that approach working in B2B seasons are paper slim. I have more faith in Albies than you, more so for the intangibles (eg, seems beloved in the clubhouse, team-friendly contract, etc). They also need Morton back on track & Soroka to be 75% of his former self.
I don’t disagree with your Albies take – add his good defense too.
He is just a terrible hitter who regressed and quite frankly, when he is at the plate, he looks like an auto-out. He has a terrible approach, terrible discipline, and terrible swing. I think it is time for him to hit from the right-side only. Just look how the changes to the baseball have negatively affected him. He turned into a homerun or nothing hitter when he is capable of much more than that
This is the same guy who called Acuña overrated, and wanted the Braves to sign Bumgarner to a long term deal.
Still believe Bum would have helped the Braves beat the Dodgers in ’20. Then again, not like the Braves are using the money they saved to help the team win today. Lost out on Freeman and now paying for it. I’m glad you are still obsessed with this take to this day – kinda desperately trying to find something from the past just for the sake of refuting my takes, even when they are relevant.
As for Acuna, well he is overrated – from the standpoint that he is not a superstar. Talk to me when he performs and stays healthy.
Agree Albies’ hitting has been a disappointment along with the entire OF most of the time. Being old school, its a real bummer watching 12-16 SOs a game with most of them looking. . Its pretty much the rule with opposing pitchers that Albies will get himself out with no need to throw a strike. The hope – its is early and most teams are awful offensively right now, and the Braves will turn it around like last year. If not ,ATL has shown they are willing to make changes – unlike the Cox days when the same ones were run out in the same order to do the same thing day after day.
I don’t think anyone is obsessed with your bad takes; it’s that you pick some strange hills to die on and then when you’re wrong tend to pretend you never said it.
We have one major league outfielder who has just recently began to play, and when I say we have one I mean we have one. We have one outfielder currently has an arm fit for softball and a center fielder who is a fourth outfielder at best for most teams. Infield is good enough to compete, pitching can compete, outfield is worst in the majors with one major leagues starting caliber outfielder.
Calm down, Duvall led the NL in RBI last season. That’s a little better than a 4th OF. Also won a gold glove.
To quote Janet Jackson…..
“What have you done for me lately?”
Duvall is not an everyday player he does better as a platoon even last year he was splitting up time. And he has been inconsistent he was sent down back before and was allowed to hit free agency in 2021 because of his inconsistent play. Lets put his value in proper perspective.
Him and Rosario would make a pretty good platoon pairing, if they went out and got a center fielder. Don’t think Waters is an upgrade over anyone they currently have, and Harris is still probably a year away. Maybe Kirmeier in a couple months when his remaining salary comes down a bit?
I have to figure Waters will give you better than 0-4 with 3k every game like our outfielders are doing right now. But sometimes you got to make a move just to change things up.
RBIs? Really? What century is it?
Should see if White Sox will trade AJ Polluck .
1000% will do Pollock/Duvall swap but I don’t think the Sox are stupid.
I dunno they traded for Pollock in the 1st place
Heck even David Paralta of the Dbacks would secure lf and he hits left handed.
Wanted something for Kimbrel mainly.
Hard to believe they’re going through arbitration with Fried over $250k. Pay the man Shirley!
I hope they’re working on a long term extension
No.. go back to the stupid title of “Team X DEFEATS Player Y.”
I was wondering if they only use that when the player DEFEATS the team?
Wasn’t a fan of it either way.
I was MUCH more hesitant to click on this link.
“Atlanta DEMOLISHES Jackson in arb hearing” is far more click-friendly – one almost can’t resist.
Atlanta Obliterates, Humiliates and Destroys Jackson in Soul-Crushing Arbitration Hearing.
No defeat this time?
The Braves could trade for AJ Pollck , White Sox , he would play daily in LF. The guy can hit.
And then who plays the next game?
He can hit, but he can’t take a hit.
He’s a Fightin’ Irish, so he he’ll fold like a lawn chair.
No, Notre Dame are Irish Catholic institution. We get drunk and trip over the lawn chair and than throw it into the inflatable kiddy pool lol.
Well done lol
I hope mlbtr has an article about jake sanford.
Freddie Freeman made this team in clubhouse, dugout, and on the field. I watch Dodgers on MLB App and Freddie’s influence on some of Dodgers players is unreal.
Even though they will never admit it, Freemen is sorely missed.