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The Blue Jays have acquired veteran starting pitcher Edwin Jackson from the Athletics, per a club announcement Saturday. As Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo told reporters, including Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae, Jackson is expected to join the Blue Jays’ big-league club immediately and could make his first start on Wednesday at Oracle Park against the Giants:
OFFICIAL: We've acquired RHP Edwin Jackson from the @Athletics in exchange for cash considerations.
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 11, 2019
The 16-year @MLB veteran went 6-3 with a 3.33 ERA in 17 starts last season. pic.twitter.com/wQfI2mKz3d
Charlie Montoyo told me Edwin Jackson could make his #BlueJays debut Wednesday in San Francisco vs. #SFGiants
— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) May 11, 2019
Jackson, 35, had a strong season with the Athletics in 2018, posting a 3.33 ERA and 1.22 WHIP with 68 strikeouts and 37 walks over 92 innings (17 starts). But he didn’t generate much interest (or, at least, didn’t receive an offer to his liking during the offseason), and he remained a free agent until he re-upped with the A’s on a minor-league deal on April 11. With Jackson having missed spring training, he needed time to get up to speed and spent some time in extended spring training and at High-A Stockton before joining Triple-A Las Vegas. He struggled in two starts with the Aviators — though that’s not really indicative of anything, considering this year’s juiced-ball Pacific Coast League is one of the most hitter-friendly leagues in recent memory — posting an 8.38 ERA and 1.66 WHIP with 10 strikeouts and seven walks over 9.2 innings.
Jackson will join a Blue Jays rotation that has been hampered quite a bit by injuries. Clay Buchholz went on the injured list Friday with shoulder inflammation, Matt Shoemaker suffered a season-ending knee injury last month, and Ryan Borucki and Clayton Richard have yet to appear this year due to injuries.
Toronto will be the 14th major-league team Jackson has pitched for, meaning he’ll break Octavio Dotel’s big-league record, which he tied last year by pitching for the A’s. Jackson has now pitched in the big leagues for the Dodgers, Devil Rays/Rays, Tigers, Diamondbacks, White Sox, Cardinals, Nationals (twice), Cubs, Braves, Marlins, Padres, Orioles, Athletics, and now the Blue Jays. Interestingly, he was a Blue Jay for an hour or two on July 27, 2011 — but never suited up for Toronto — as he was dealt by the White Sox as part of a four-player deal, then flipped to the Cardinals later in the day in an eight-player trade. Things probably worked out for the best in that situation for Jackson, as he played a pivotal role in helping the Cardinals win the World Series, which earned him his only ring to date.