Earlier today, Jeff Sullivan wrote about Edwin Jackson's continuing search for a contending team willing to sign him to a long-term contract. A search that doesn't seem to be going real well. Nick Cafardo:
Boston Red Sox Go Bargain-Hunting
Lots of buzz out there about the possibility that free-agent righty Edwin Jackson may accept a one-year deal with a contender to improve his value and go back into the free-agent market next season.
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Boston, which has offered a one-year deal in the $5-$6 million range according to major league sources, is definitely in the hunt. But if they're the contending team that's going to land him, it hasn't happened yet.
--snip--
He's 28 years old and has No. 1 caliber stuff and can give you close to 200 innings, which is a need for the Red Sox. But while having No. 1 stuff, he's pitched more like a middle-rotation starter throughout his career.
I’m not sure how relevant his No. 1 caliber stuff is, without No. 1 caliber performance. Except there’s always a pitching coach who thinks he can fix a guy. Except he usually can’t.
Jackson did take a step forward in 2009, but even since then his strikeout-to-walk ratio is just 2.33, which would be real good for an extreme ground-ball pitcher but Jackson still gives up roughly one home run every nine innings. He’s a good pitcher and pitchers are weird so maybe he’ll be great someday. But probably not.
Still, Edwin Jackson’s better than “the $5-$6 million range” and the Red Sox know that as well as anyone. He’s been worth (roughly) three times that much in each of the last three seasons. If the Sox are really offering Jackson that pittance, they’re either reading the market really well or are just fishing on a strict budget.
And if Jackson gets a penny less than $10 million to pitch this year, somebody on his side is doing it wrong.
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