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The Diamondbacks and Cubs announced a minor trade on Thursday night, with outfielder Brett Jackson heading to Arizona in exchange for minor-league pitcher Blake Cooper. Jackson will join the Diamondbacks' 40-man roster and will report to Triple-A Reno.
Jackson, 26, who was ranked by Baseball America as one of the top 75 prospects in baseball after the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons, has hit just .210/.298/.348 with five home runs in 81 games for the Cubs' Triple-A affiliate on the season. He has struggled at the plate over the last three seasons and has lost his status as a top prospect, meaning that the rebuilding Diamondbacks likely view him as a change-of-scenery candidate who could help out the major league club. Jackson saw 142 major league plate appearances with the Cubs in 2012, hitting .175/.303/.342 with four home runs.
Cooper, a 26-year old righty reliever, has split the season between Double-A Mobile and Triple-A Reno, seeing much different results at each stop. Despite posting a 1.75 ERA in 24 appearances with Mobile, he has struggled mightily with Reno, posting a 6.00 ERA mark in 17 appearances. In total, the former 12th round pick has a combined 4-2 record and 3.57 ERA in 58 innings on the season. He was not ranked among Arizona's top 30 prospects before the season.