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Twins Release Jay Jackson

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The Twins released veteran reliever Jay Jackson, tweets Aaron Gleeman of the Athletic. The righty had been outrighted last month and wasn’t on the 40-man roster.

Jackson made 20 MLB appearances with Minnesota early in the year. He struggled to a 7.52 earned run average despite striking out 29 hitters while only issuing nine walks. The longball was the biggest issue. Jackson allowed seven home runs over 26 1/3 innings. It was a marked turnaround from the 2.12 ERA that he’d posted over a similar amount of playing time with the Blue Jays last season.

The 36-year-old Jackson had fired three innings of one-run ball in Triple-A early in the season. He did not pitch there following last month’s outright assignment. Jackson had been on the temporarily inactive list. He’s now a free agent and could find minor league interest once he’s ready to return to action.

Twins Outright Jay Jackson

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June 24: Jackson passed through waivers unclaimed and has been assigned outright to Triple-A St. Paul, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. As previously noted, he’ll have the right to reject that assignment but is extremely unlikely to do so, as that would require forfeiting the remaining $685K on this year’s salary and the $200K buyout on next year’s $3MM club option.

June 20: The Twins are designating reliever Jay Jackson for assignment, manager Rocco Baldelli told the team’s beat after today’s loss to the Rays (relayed on X by Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune). Darren Wolfson of SKOR North reports (on X) that Minnesota will recall southpaw Kody Funderburk from Triple-A St. Paul to step into the bullpen. Minnesota’s 40-man roster count drops to 39.

It’s the second time this season that Minnesota has taken Jackson off the roster. The Twins designated him for assignment in May and successfully ran him through outright waivers. The righty accepted his assignment to St. Paul and pitched his way back to the big leagues a couple weeks later. Jackson had only made a trio of appearances in Triple-A, working three innings of one-run ball.

He has pitched 20 times for Minnesota at the big league level. Despite decent strikeout and walk numbers, he has had a tough time keeping runs off the board. That continued this afternoon. Jackson allowed three runs on homers by Jose Siri and Yandy Díaz, stretching a one-run deficit into a 6-2 gap. Minnesota scored four in the bottom of the ninth to tie it but lost in the tenth inning.

The longball has been Jackson’s biggest concern. He’s up to seven homers surrendered across 26 1/3 innings. That’s the biggest reason he has been unable to strand many baserunners. After today’s outing, he carries a 7.52 earned run average. That’s a sharp downturn from the excellent 2.12 ERA he posted in 29 2/3 frames for the Blue Jays a year ago. Jackson’s strikeout and walk numbers are essentially unchanged from his productive stint in Toronto, but his batted ball results have pushed him off the roster twice.

It is likely that Minnesota will place the 36-year-old on waivers again in the next few days. Jackson could decline an outright assignment if he goes unclaimed, though doing so would require forfeiting what remains of this year’s $1.3MM salary and the $200K buyout on next year’s $3MM club option. He could wind up back in St. Paul as a result.

Twins Designate Diego Castillo For Assignment

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The Twins announced Wednesday that they’ve designated right-hander Diego Castillo for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to righty Jay Jackson, whose contract is being selected from Triple-A St. Paul. Right-hander Louie Varland was optioned to St. Paul to open an active roster spot for Jackson, who’ll be up for his second stint of the year in Minnesota.

Castillo inked a minor league deal during spring training and was selected to the MLB roster late last month. He’s only allowed two runs in seven innings of relief but has also issued an unsightly seven walks in that span. The veteran Castillo has pitched quite well in Triple-A, logging a 2.50 ERA with a 29.7% strikeout rate, 8.1% walk rate and 54.5% ground-ball rate in 18 innings. He also saw his average fastball velocity jump back to 95.7 mph after sitting at 94.2 mph in 2023. The Twins will have a week to trade Castillo, attempt to pass him through outright waivers or release him.

From 2018-22, the now-30-year-old Castillo was excellent out of the bullpens in Tampa Bay and Seattle, pitching to a combined 3.12 earned run average (3.69 FIP, 3.38 SIERA) with a strong 28.1% strikeout rate and an 8.9% walk rate that’s barely north of the league average. He kept the ball on the ground at an impressive 50.7% clip as well, and Castillo yielded just 1.07 long balls per nine frames.

A series of three shoulder injuries looked to have taken their toll on him, as last year’s 94.2 mph average fastball was a career-low and he was rocked for six runs in 8 2/3 innings with Seattle (while walking 17% of his hitters and plunking another one). It’s feasible that his track record and this year’s rejuvenated fastball could lead to interest from a bullpen-needy club, be it via a minor trade or a waiver claim.

Jackson, 36, signed a one-year, $1.5MM deal with the Twins over the winter but was hit hard in his initial stint with the club. In 22 1/3 innings, he pitched to a 6.85 ERA, yielding runs in 10 of his 17 appearances along the way. He’s allowed one run in three Triple-A innings since being designated for assignment, clearing waivers and being sent outright to St. Paul. Jackson worked mostly in low-leverage spots with the Twins and figures to do so again, unless he can more closely resemble the 2022-23 version of himself — wherein he combined for 31 innings of 2.03 ERA ball.

Because of his contract, this could become a frequent cycle for Jackson. His remaining salary makes it unlikely he’ll be claimed on waivers, so the Twins could designate him, pass him through waivers, outright him and then re-select him to the big league roster multiple this this year — whenever the need for a fresh arm arises. Of course, if Jackson can indeed begin to recapture some of his form from recent seasons, he could also pitch his way into a more permanent role in manager Rocco Baldelli’s bullpen.

Twins Outright Jay Jackson To Triple-A

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TODAY: Jackson has been outrighted off the 40-man roster after clearing waivers.  Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (via X) reports that Jackson will report to Triple-A, rather than exercising his right to free agency.

MAY 19: The Twins have designated right-hander Jay Jackson for assignment, per a club announcement. Right-hander Caleb Boushley was recalled in the corresponding move.

Jackson, 36, signed a $1.5MM guarantee with the Twins back in February but has struggled badly across 17 appearances with the Twins this season. In 22 1/3 innings of work, Jackson has posted a 6.75 ERA with a 4.49 FIP despite a solid 24% strikeout rate and a decent 8.3% walk rate. Much of the damage against Jackson has come via the long ball, as the veteran has already allowed a whopping four homers this season. While an unbelievably low 47.2% strand rate in conjunction with those solid strikeout and walk rates suggest Jackson may have been a victim of some bad luck (as demonstrated by his 3.49 SIERA and 3.74 xERA), those early season struggles were nonetheless enough for the Twins to make a change.

The 36-year-old’s professional career began all the way back in 2008, when he was a ninth-round pick by the Cubs. Jackson eventually made his big league debut as a member of the Padres but pitched just 34 2/3 innings in the majors between his 2015 debut and the 2021 season, instead having spent the majority of his career to that point pitching in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He posted excellent results during his time overseas with a 2.16 ERA and a 27.4% strikeout rate, and made his way back to the big leagues in 2021 as a member of the Giants. Jackson managed just 52 2/3 innings of work at the big league level from 2021-23, but posted solid results when on the mound with a 2.73 ERA and 4.07 FIP in 50 appearances.

Those strong previous results in conjunction with his solid peripherals in Minnesota could make Jackson and interesting target for teams in need of relief pitching, though it’s possible no team will want to assume the remainder of his contract with the Twins by claiming him off waivers. Should Jackson clear waivers, he’d have the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency, although he would forfeit his guaranteed salary in doing so.

Replacing Jackson on the Twins’ active roster is Boushley, who will be returning to the majors after a single-game cup of coffee with the Brewers last season. Boushley’s lone MLB appearance went fairly well as he posted a 3.86 ERA while striking out five 2 1/3 innings of work, although he did surrender two walks and a home run during the outing. Boushley found himself outrighted off the 40-man roster in Milwaukee this past offseason and elected free agency before signing with the Twins on a minor league deal back in January. Boushley’s contract was selected by the Twins earlier this month, although he did not make it into an MLB game before being optioned back to the minors. The right-hander has pitched to a decent 4.54 ERA in eight starts at the Triple-A level and figures to offer the Twins a long relief option out of the bullpen going forward.

Twins Sign Jay Jackson

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Feb. 7: Jackson will be guaranteed $1.5MM on the deal, MLBTR has learned. That’s paid out in the form of a $1.3MM salary and a $200K buyout on a $3MM club option for the 2025 season. The value of that club option and the buyout can be increased to $4MM and $350K, respectively, based on the number of games Jackson pitches.

Feb. 4: The Twins have signed veteran right-hander Jay Jackson to a big league contract, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray (X link).  The deal will become official when Jackson passes a physical.  Jackson is represented by agent Nello Gamberdino.

Jackson posted a 2.12 ERA over 29 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays last season.  His 3.89 SIERA was less flattering due to a .187 BABIP and 89.3% strand rate, yet Jackson’s strikeout (23.3%) and walk (7.8%) rates were quite solid.  This performance also came under trying circumstances for the 36-year-old, as Jackson spent much of the season traveling back and forth from Utah during breaks in the schedule to spend time with his fiancee and newborn son, who was born 15 weeks premature.

In joining the Twins, Jackson has now been a member of 10 different MLB organizations and two Nippon Professional Baseball organizations during his 16 pro seasons.  In addition to his four seasons pitching in Japan, he has seen action at the Major League level with five of his clubs, starting with the Padres in 2015.  Jackson has amassed only two years and 28 days of proper MLB service time given all of the stops and starts in his career, yet his contract with Toronto last winter included a clause that allowed him to test the market again without still being under arbitration control.

Despite his journeyman resume, Jackson’s actual results have been pretty respectable, with a 3.50 ERA and 29.5% K% over 87 1/3 career innings in the Show, albeit with an 11% walk rate.  He brings some experience and perhaps under-the-radar upside to a Minnesota bullpen that has started to receive some attention over the last week, via the trade that sent Jorge Polanco to the Mariners.

Justin Topa looks to be a candidate for higher-leverage innings, while Anthony DeSclafani is a long relief option if he isn’t needed in the rotation.  Jackson figures to work closer to the back end of the pen and might be something of a proverbial 25th or 26th man on the roster, even though his guaranteed contract gives him some advantage over other pitchers who might have minor league options.

The Top Unsigned Right-Handed Relievers

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Pitchers and catchers will be reporting to Spring Training in about two weeks but a slow offseason means there are still plenty of free agents out there. Over the past week, MLBTR has already taken a look at the remaining catchers, first basemen, second basemen, third basemen, shortstops, center fielders, corner outfielders, designated hitters,  starting pitchers and left-handed relievers. We’ll now wrap things up with a look at the right-handed relievers.

  • Phil Maton: Acquired from Cleveland in the 2021 Myles Straw trade, Maton has quietly been very effective over the past two years. Since the start of 2022, he has made 135 appearances for the Astros with a 3.42 earned run average. His 26.5% strikeout rate in that time is a few ticks above league average while his 8.8% walk rate is right around par. He’s been excellent at limiting hard contact, as seen on his Statcast page. His 23.5% hard hit rate last year was actually the best in the majors among qualified pitchers, while his average exit velocity was in the top five. In 2022, he was in the top 10 in both those categories as well. He missed the 2022 postseason due to injury but made six scoreless appearances for the Astros in last year’s playoffs. He has received reported interest this offseason from teams like the Phillies, Yankees and Cardinals.
  • Ryne Stanek: Another former Astro, Stanek has made 186 appearances over the past three years with a 2.90 ERA. He has struck out 27% of batters faced but also given out walks at a 12.2% clip. That strikeout rate fell to 23.9% in 2023, but he also cut his walk rate to 9.9%, a career low for him. He has reportedly received interest from the Cubs, Red Sox and Mets this winter.
  • Ryan Brasier: The 2023 season was inconsistent for Brasier, a reflection of his career overall. After a stint in Japan, he returned to North America with the Red Sox in 2018, posting a 1.60 ERA. From there, his season-by-season ERA went to 4.85, 3.96, 1.50, 5.78 and then 3.02 in the most recent campaign. That 2023 ERA involved a 7.29 mark with the Red Sox and then a tiny 0.70 figure with the Dodgers. When combining his time with both of those clubs last year, his peripherals ended up pretty close to his career numbers. He struck out 23.5% of batters faced and gave out walks to 8% of them last year, near his career rates of 24.1% and 7.4%. Since he finished the year on such a strong note, he has received a fair amount of interest this winter, with clubs like the Cardinals, Dodgers, Angels, Cubs, Orioles, Rangers and Yankees connected to him at various points.
  • Jesse Chavez: Though he’s now 40 years old, Chavez doesn’t seem to be slowing down. He made 36 appearances for Atlanta last year with a 1.56 ERA. He surely had a bit of help from the baseball gods there, with a .273 batting average on balls in play and 81.2% strand rate, but the peripherals were still strong. He struck out 27.1% of batters faced, walked 8.3% and kept 51.7% of balls in play on the ground. His 3.05 FIP and 3.35 SIERA were much higher than his ERA but still represent solid work. He missed about three months of last season after being hit in the leg by a comebacker but was back on the mound before the end of the year.
  • Liam Hendriks: If Hendriks were healthy right now, he would be on the top of this list. He cemented himself as one of the best closers in baseball a few years ago and racked up 115 saves over the past five seasons. He has a 2.32 ERA since the start of 2019, having struck out 38.3% of batters faced while walking just 5.1% of them. Unfortunately, 2023 was an incredibly challenging year for the right-hander, as he first had to undergo treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. After winning that battle and returning to the mound, he required Tommy John surgery in early August. Since the rehab for that procedure generally goes beyond one year, it’s questionable whether he will be able to pitch at all in the upcoming campaign, though he has said he’s targeting a return around the trade deadline. He can likely find a two-year deal somewhere, with the signing club understanding that they will have a better shot of getting return on their investment in 2025.

Honorable mentions: Jay Jackson, Brad Boxberger, Shintaro Fujinami, Derek Law, Mark Melancon, Matt Barnes

Blue Jays Outright Jay Jackson

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October 6: Jackson cleared outright waivers, according to the transaction log at MLB.com. He’ll qualify for free agency at the beginning of the offseason, so it was a lock that he’d go unclaimed.

October 1: The Blue Jays announced this afternoon that the club has designated right-hander Jay Jackson for assignment. In a corresponding move, the club selected the contract of right-hander Wes Parsons. The move brings Jackson’s 2023 season to an end. The 35-year-old hurler signed with Toronto on a one-year deal back in March and was already slated to become a free agent following the 2023 campaign, though the move means that Jackson won’t join the club as they embark on a postseason push this October.

In 25 appearances with the Blue Jays this season, Jackson has posted a 2.12 ERA, good for a whopping 200 ERA+ in 29 2/3 innings of work. The right-hander’s peripherals are less impressive, with a 4.20 FIP and 3.89 SIERA, though even those figures are still better than average. The strong performance in 2023 continues a run of three seasons in the majors where Jackson has been an effective reliever: since returning from Japan prior to the 2021 season, the veteran righty has posted a 2.73 ERA and 4.07 FIP in 50 appearances with the Giants, Braves, and Blue Jays. Jackson is among several solid middle relief options who figure to be a part of the coming free agent class, like fellow righties John Brebbia and Keynan Middleton.

In Jackson’s place, the Blue Jays select Parsons, who last pitched in the majors during the 2019 campaign. He spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons overseas pitching in the KBO, where he combined for a 3.67 ERA in 196 1/3 innings of work despite his career 5.67 ERA at the major league level. Parsons signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays this past offseason and has made 17 starts at the Triple-A level, recording a 4.52 ERA in 81 2/3 innings of work. Parsons, 31, will start today’s season finale against the Rays and figures to help cover innings as the club prepares for the AL Wild Card series, which begins on Tuesday.

Blue Jays’ Jay Jackson Will Be A Free Agent This Winter

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Due to particular language in the MLB contract he signed with the Blue Jays prior to Opening Day, Jay Jackson will be a free agent this winter despite lacking the regulation six years of big league service time, Jays Journal’s Eric Treuden writes.  This isn’t the first time Jackson has pursued this route, as Treuden notes that Jackson had similar free agent language written into prior contracts with the Brewers and Giants over the last four years.

Players with between three years and six years of service time are usually under team control, via salary arbitration.  However, this normal structure is an imperfect fit for players like Jackson, who made his MLB debut at a relatively late age (27) and who have bounced around to several different teams in both North America and Japan.  Though 2023 is Jackson’s age-35 season and he has previously pitched in parts of four MLB campaigns from 2015-22, he still only had one year and 105 days of official service time heading into Opening Day.  Rather than tie himself to the Blue Jays organization for years to come, Jackson and his representatives arranged a re-entry into the free agent market at the completion of his one-year deal with Toronto.

Over 27 2/3 innings with the Jays, Jackson has looked quite sharp in posting a 2.28 ERA over 27 2/3 innings, as well as a 22.9% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate.  This performance is all the more impressive considering how Jackson’s focus has been on matters far more important than baseball, as Jackson and his fiancee have been caring for a newborn who came 15 weeks premature.  As a result, Jackson has spent time on the family emergency list, and also spend numerous off-days traveling to Utah to be his family.

His son’s health situation is sure to factor into Jackson’s next contractual decision, as it stands to reason that he might prefer to join a team closer to home.  That said, Jackson signed with the Blue Jays because he prioritized pitching for a contender, and by all accounts the club has enjoyed Jackson’s contributions both on the field and in the clubhouse, so the Jays figure to have some interest in offering Jackson a new deal.

Blue Jays Activate Brandon Belt From 10-Day IL

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The Blue Jays activated first baseman/DH Brandon Belt from the 10-day injured list today, returning the veteran slugger to action after a 15-day absence due to lower back spasms.  Toronto also called up right-hander Jay Jackson from Triple-A, while optioning right-hander Nate Pearson and first baseman Spencer Horwitz to the Florida Complex League (since the Triple-A season is over).

Apart from this two-week stint and an earlier 10-day absence due to a hamstring injury, it has been a pretty healthy season for Belt, which is a nice outcome given his long injury history.  Recurring knee problems have plagued Belt in recent years, and surgery on his right knee prematurely ended Belt’s 2022 season and even had him wondering if retirement was in the cards.  However, Belt decided to continue playing on his surgically-repaired knee, a decision that has paid off well for both the 35-year-old and the Jays.

Signed to a one-year, $9.3MM free agent deal last winter, Belt has hit .251/.369/.470 with 16 home runs over 382 plate appearances.  The Blue Jays have used Belt mostly as a DH and rarely sent him to the plate against left-handed pitchers, but this platoon usage has perhaps contributed to Belt’s ability to stay healthy for the majority of the 2023 campaign.  Belt has been one of the steadier contributors to a Toronto lineup that has struggled to consistently generate offense, so getting Belt back for the regular season’s final six games is a big help as the Jays try to lock up a wild card slot.

Blue Jays Place Erik Swanson On 15-Day Injured List

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The Blue Jays announced that Erik Swanson has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to thoracic spine inflammation.  Swanson will be replaced with another right-handed reliever in Jay Jackson, who has been called up from Triple-A Buffalo.

Swanson left yesterday’s game due to what was described at the time as right mid-back discomfort, so it isn’t a surprise to see him land on the IL.  The reliever sounded fairly optimistic about his recovery in speaking with The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath, so while back injuries can have a fluid timeline, it seems possible that Swanson might only miss the minimum 15 days.

That said, 15 days is still a big chunk of what remains of the 2023 season, so the Blue Jays will have to continue their fight for a wild card berth without one of their top relievers.  During the offseason, the Jays acquired Swanson from the Mariners as part of the Teoscar Hernandez trade in the hopes that Swanson would help stabilize the bullpen, and the 29-year-old has done just that in posting a 3.10 ERA over 58 innings.  His metrics this year aren’t as impressive as his elite numbers in Seattle in 2022, as his walk and hard-hit ball rates are both around league average, though Swanson’s 29.4% strikeout rate and 5.6% barrel rate are both still very good.  Swanson’s .261 xwOBA is also one of the league’s best.

The Blue Jays have somewhat surprisingly been carried by their pitching this season, and the bullpen in particular has been one of the top relief units in baseball.  Jordan Romano, Tim Mayza, Trevor Richards, and Yimi Garcia have all been good to great, Genesis Cabrera still hasn’t allowed an earned run in his 14 2/3 innings with the team, and Jordan Hicks has looked solid since coming over from the Cardinals in a deadline deal.  Jackson has a 1.64 ERA over 22 innings, despite a few trips back and forth from Triple-A and some major off-the-field concerns in regards to the premature birth of his son.

With all this in mind, Toronto is theoretically better equipped than most teams to withstand the loss of a key reliever, even if Swanson has been a workhorse for the club.  Swanson’s 60 appearances this season rank fourth among all pitchers, and Mayza and Garcia are just a step behind with 59 games apiece.  The Blue Jays’ lack of offense has led to a lot of tight games, and Swanson has been the point man in many of these high-leverage situations.

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