 |
USA Today Sports Images Edwin Jackson parlayed one season in Washington into a huge deal with Chicago. |
That strategy most certainly paid off, because today Jackson and the Cubs came to agreement on a four-year, $52 million contract, according to CSNchicago.com.
The deal is still contingent upon Jackson passing a physical, but once he does he'll be under contract through 2016 earning an average of $13 million per season (18th-most among all major-league pitchers).
The Nationals never showed any serious intention to bring Jackson back after a mostly impressive -- if often erratic -- season in D.C. Signed on Feb. 2 for $11 million to serve as their No. 4 starter, he went 10-11 with a 4.03 ERA in 31 starts (17 of them quality starts).
Wanting to find a shorter-term and more consistent alternative for 2013, the Nationals elected not to make a qualifying offer to Jackson at season's end. Doing so would have ensured draft-pick compensation for losing the 29-year-old to free agency, though the club would have risked the possibility of Jackson accepting the offer and returning for one year at a salary of roughly $13.3 million.
(The Nationals did make a similar qualifying offer to first baseman Adam LaRoche, who declined the offer but could still return to Washington on a two-year deal.)
General manager Mike Rizzo ultimately signed Dan Haren to a one-year, $13 million contract, the veteran taking over Jackson's spot in an otherwise young rotation.
For Jackson, this deal should mark the end of his nomadic baseball life. After pitching for seven different big-league clubs in eight years, he'll finally take comfort knowing he's under contract with one organization for four full seasons. (This new contract, however, reportedly does not include a no-trade clause.)
Jackson owns a career 70-71 record and 4.40 ERA.
87 comments:
Good Luck to Edwin. Again, will cheer for you like all the ex nats, except when you are playing against the Nats.
Cubs are getting it done when it comes to adding guys who can provide upside innings.
I will remember EJax for his two(or was it 3-hitter) against Reds in April. First time I saw a complete game from our guys. Good luck!
Don, pitchers who can go deep in games keeps a bullpen fresh.
I just received an email from Nationals about spring packages. Is that how you guys go to ST or do you guys do your own tickets, etc?
While I like Rizzo and what he does it seems to me sometimes we give him too much credit. HOWEVER in this case it shows how he can take care of the bottom line. He secured our co-ace for five years for less than our number four from last year got for four years...
I can only imagine what Gibson, Koufax, Marichal, Carlton and Fergie Jenkins think about Edwin Jackson getting $52 million.
Tweet from #PTBarnum:
"There's sucker born every minute."
Faraz Shaikh said...
I just received an email from Nationals about spring packages. Is that how you guys go to ST or do you guys do your own tickets, etc?
__________________________
The last few year we have done it as a group & my friends generally have the contacts for the tix plus we time it to take in a PGA tour event as the Golf Tour is in Florida in March and we will drive to Miami and Orlando for a Heat and Magic basketball game.
Add to that our own golf and boating/fishing its a great time.
This year is messed up with the WBC as we do early March.
Drew said...
I can only imagine what Gibson, Koufax, Marichal, Carlton and Fergie Jenkins think about Edwin Jackson getting $52 million.
________________________________
I agree and EJax did this without Boras as his agent. I'm surprised but Cubs may have felt like they had to do something after losing Anibal.
"A fool and his money
Yep, EJax with a mega contract. I don't get it. His new agent Genske has done well with Dunn and EJax.
A fool and his money are soon parted.
Good luck to Edwin.
Faraz, we've only been to ST once (so far) but we put together our own trip when we went. I got that email as well.
Phil, so true.
So a nice picture of Danny during the offseason playing Santa (and Looking like him too!!)
Danny in the offseason
Good for him that he got it. Good for the Nats that they're not the ones paying it.
Good luck to Edwin. Know that you gave it your best for the Nats.
Still at the end of the day his body of work in my mind doesn't warrant $13 million for 4 years. Yes Edwin can be dominating, he pitched three to five fabulous games for the Nats in 2012. At the same time he was very inconsistence, always had that one really bad inning. But in the long run his appearances in big games was lacking and scary.
Even in these days of inflated prices when I think of a pitcher that deserves $52 million for 4 years is one that will not give up more than two runs per game, one that will give you at least seven solid innings but has to do that 9 at of 10 times. Jackson only did that 2 out of 10 times and I have to agree with Rizzo in not even giving him a qualifying offer. The Nats will be better off with Haren in 2013. So we lost a draft pick, think it was worth it in order to get rid of him and at the end of the day I think it was a parting favor toward Jackson, look at LaRoache who can't get a great offer because teams don't want to give up that draft choice.
Rizzo,
Please sign JZimn ASAP he is not getting any cheaper.
"But in the long run his appearances in big games was lacking and scary."
Fortunately, that won't be an issue in the blue PJs.
Agree with Fox - need this done sooner, not later.
It's easy to look back but do you folks think Jackson would have declined the 13.2 million dollar offer if we had extended it to him? That of course would have provided us with another draft pick. Again, its not my money and that is a huge gamble by Rizzo if he thinks Jackson doesn't fit or might take the offer.
Looks like AJ Pierzynski is probably going to Texas, dimming whatever chance there was of ALR landing there.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/12/rangers-pierzynski-close-to-deal.html
If that's what EJax got, I shudder to think what Strassie, Gio and JZim are worth at this very moment. I mean, suppose the rules of baseball changed tomorrow ( that would be the Mayan Baseball League) and every player was a free agent. What would those three guys alone cost us? Fox is correct - do something for JZimm immediately. EJax is mediocre at best. So - in this fantasy GM, pay-the-pitcher game, what DO you think those three guys would be worth today on the open market? How much per year? Talk about a fiscal cliff....
The ALR situation now is eerily similar to the one when we first signed him. He doesn't seem to have any home but us and we'll welcome him with open arms as long as it's only a two-year deal.
swami: With Gio Gonzalez, the Nats already have him signed through 2016, with a team option for 2017, and vesting option for 2018. I don't think you need to do anything more there. With Stephen Strasburg, the team has him through 2016 (four more full seasons), but I don't see Scott Boras allowing him to sign an extension, so that's not even an issue. With Jordan Zimmermann, who is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2015 season, it probably makes sense to buy out his arbitration years and then add a year or two onto his contact. But I don't have a problem with them waiting until after the 2013 season to do so; more expensive, but also more clarity.
One Cubs fan's reaction, from hardballtalk:
professormaddog31 - Dec 20, 2012 at 2:01 PM
There’s currently a blizzard going on here in Wisconsin, and every time I think about the pitchers that the Cubs have signed – and not signed – it makes me want to go out onto my front lawn and allow the snow to bury me alive.
I wonder what Kyle Loshe is thinking? Anabel and Ejax got paid, so I am sure Loshe is just waiting for a good offer. Strangely, haven't heard his name linked to any teams.
MLB folks seem to think it's the Boras factor, Michele.
Grandstander said...
The ALR situation now is eerily similar to the one when we first signed him.
There's one VERY BIG difference. Two years ago, the Nats needed LaRoche. Now they don't. And Rizzo is not in the habit of giving big contracts to players he doesn't need. That's why LaRoche will be signing elsewhere this time.
When we let Adam Dunn go I was upset. Then I saw how things worked out for the best. Now I am willing to wait and let things play out.
Happy for Ejax, but thought that Rizzo did the right thing by not bringing him back.
Maybe Danny's new beard will slow down his K's on the outside part of the plate!
Thanks guys. I will look up how much it is either way and then decide.
Record of 70-71 over eight seasons. An utterly average pitcher gets $13 million a year for four years.
I suspect the 101-loss Cubs are paying that amount for exactly the same reason the Nats paid $127 million to Jayson Werth - let everyone know they're serious about getting better.
btw which airport do you guys fly to?
Faraz, I think most fly into Orlando, I am insane. I am driving.
Thanks Michele. Then what? Car from there I suppose?
What about hotels? I am looking at some that half hour away and $60 per night. any hints regarding that?
Faraz, take a look at Mark's Spring training tips at the beginning of this year. I think he stays in melbourne, and he had some helpful hints on where to stay/eat. I stay with my Mom on the West Coast and commute about 2 hours to get over to Viera.
Faraz:
I fly to Orlando and stay in Melborne, an easy 12-mile jaunt to Viera. I like the beach, restaurants and proximity to other conveniences (multipllex, etc.) but others enjoy staying in Cocoa Beach.
In traveling to spring training three times I've found it most relaxing to attend the home games in Viera and use the road dates to stay on the Space Coast and go to the beach, check out wildlife (note to my wife -- I mean manatees and migrating birds, honest!) or tour the space center.
If you go through the grind of driving to the away games and back you'll understand why the Nats are moving.
Thanks Michele. I had forgotten about that.
I wondered at the time, and even more now, why Rizzo didn't offer the QO to EJax as well. Given the contract he was able to get, surely he would have declined and given us another drsft pick. Even if he accepted, surely we could have traded him, given the interest that has been out there.
Do folks think Rizzo misjudged his value that badly? Or perhaps he had made a verbal, or even formal, commitment NOT to make the offer to make it as easy as possible for him to get a long term contract. Will be interesting, if more situations like LaRoche (and maybe Lohse?) start slowing down signings of players at the margin if folks like Haren that are on "pillow contracts" start insisting on a clause that prevents the team from making a QO at the end of the season.
Do. JZimnn. Now. 6 years...Git 'er done.
Thanks Drew. Right now I am just finding out info to see if it is doable. I have been wanting to go to FL for some time.
Agree with everyone asking for JZ to be extended. It is the right time. We can hopefully get something team friendly done.
Dave B: it's starting to look like the loss of pick, in this new atmosphere, would really have affected interest in EJax... Prolly wouldn't have gotten as good of an offer, and if this doesn't change, more guys will take that offer, or at least threaten to, to avoid what Adam is going through.
UnkyD: But if EJax had accepted, couldn't Rizzo just have traded him to say the Cubs or the Padres for a prospect (and then that team would have the leverage to try to negotiate an extension with him without having to compete with everyone in the league)? We'd still be better off it seems (as long as you are able to correctly judge that other teams will think he's worth at least $13M / year).
The loss of a pick matters, but remember, not all picks are created equal.
Cubs have one of the protected top 10 picks in the first round. So if they signed a player who had received and turned down a QO, they keep their #2 overall pick over and lose their second round pick.
Not as big a price as Texas, Baltimore, or another team with an unprotected first round pick would have to surrender for ALR.
There's alot to be said for a guy that goes out there every 5th day, throws 93-95 mph with an unhittable "straight down" slider. The guy supposedly is great in the clubhouse. He is a circle change up away from being a 20 game winner. I personally think if he had pitched well in the playoffs he'd of still been here. So now we got Haren to replace him. So for 13 mil we got a right handed John Lannan.
Faraz, we fly into Orlando and stay there at the Hard Rock. Its about 50 minutes to Viera from there.
Trying to make it this year- my son lives in Jacksonville- not that close, but doable. He goes down frequently during ST.
Big Cat: look at Haren's numbers and then look at Lannan and please tell me you really think they are similar. For 5 years Haren was an All-Star, received votes for the Cy Young and was a rock for his team. He was injured last year and still outperformed Lannan in his best year. Please stop with silly comments like that.
Thanks Gonat, I looked that up. It looks like out of my budget.
Another st travel option is the Amtrak Car train, bring your car along and you don't need to rent a car.
Big Cat actually drove me to Baseball reference.com with his ridiculous comments on Haren vs. Lannan.
Harren in his 10 year career has been an All-Star 3 straight years (2007-2009) and probably should have had a 4th in 12011 when he went 16-10, led the majors in games started with 34, pitched 238 innings with an ERA of 3.17!!!! He is ranked 23rd among all active pitchers in WAR.
Lannan is 21 games below that for his 6 year career. He is 42-52 in that time while Haren has won 119 and lost just 97. Haren's career ERA is 3.66 while Lannan is over 4.00.
I liked Lannan but please don't call Haren a right handed John Lannan. Its not even close.
ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo
Edwin Jackson had highest "miss rate" on his slider of any pitcher who qualified for ERA title. Hitters missed on 49% of swings vs the pitch
I had a choice of spring training or California in May and I chose seeing the Nationals play the Giants in May with a trip to Napa for a few days before and staying in San Francisco a few days after. I know I would love spring training but I think this trip might top Florida.
I'm sure the Cat is referring to Haren's "loss of velocity"... As though Haren wasn't still effective.... Just a "soft-tosser" now... Like LannEn... Right Big Cat?
UnkyD: I am sure he has lost velocity after his injury but I am hoping he still has a presence to make an even bigger difference then he did last year. From what I have read, his last 8 starts were much different from his early season work. This guy is a true veteran pitcher and I think our young guys can learn from him. That being said, I thought Lidge would provide the same type of positive results for our bullpen and I was dead wrong on that.
I'm on board, 308.... My kook ade glass is full, and I'm thinking Best #5 in the Game!!!
GYFNG!!!!!!
For those of you who are worried about the loss of velocity-a smart, veteran pitcher, who knows how to pitch, not just throw, is a great asset. Think Barry Zito.
...ping...Anybody out there? Yes? Dang. I guess I should have paid my bills after all. (Kidding.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xBxZGQ1dJk
flynnie said...
One Cubs fan's reaction, from hardballtalk:
professormaddog31 - Dec 20, 2012 at 2:01 PM
There’s currently a blizzard going on here in Wisconsin, and every time I think about the pitchers that the Cubs have signed – and not signed – it makes me want to go out onto my front lawn and allow the snow to bury me alive.
December 20, 2012 6:31 PM
Sorry I'm late on this. :-)
A Strong Package for Gorse Hackage! said...
"But in the long run his appearances in big games was lacking and scary."
Fortunately, that won't be an issue in the blue PJs.
December 20, 2012 5:46 PM
Good luck to EJax in Chicago. But I'm really shocked at the 4 years, $52 mil.
Love that ballpark and the region generally (of course, I'm biased from having grown up in the Bay Area). Regardless, I predict it will be a wonderful trip, sjm.
sjm308 said...
I had a choice of spring training or California in May and I chose seeing the Nationals play the Giants in May with a trip to Napa for a few days before and staying in San Francisco a few days after. I know I would love spring training but I think this trip might top Florida.
December 20, 2012 10:19 PM
Still here - I think.
Faraz, Mark did the fan guide to ST the previous year as well. Each time there were two posts (part I and part II), with plenty of tips in the comment section as well.
2011 tips
2012 tips
Well, seeing as how the world didn't end after all, I guess I'll go have breakfast. :-)
LOL 1a. enjoy breakfast and thank you.
Today is the Degenerate Nephew's 18th Birthday. He is waking up and probably bummed that the world didn't end, he has a test today. Can't believe he is 18, makes me feel old.
Good grief, people are making apocalypse jokes like there's no tomorrow.
The world can not possibly end before the Nats win a World Series. Besides, if the Mayans were really any good at making predictions they'd still be here.
have to wonder if a year ago a handshake deal was made not to make a qualifying offer.
That actually makes sense. I think Rizzo is allowed to make mistakes but it doesn't make sense to offer LaRoche the QO and not Jackson. Neither was looking for another one year deal and it obviously helped Jackson that there was no draft pick involved.
JoeS, Mayans are still here.
You're welcome, Faraz. btw, we also flew into Orlando and rented a car. Our Melbourne hotel, which we liked, was not quite as low-priced as you specified, but the rate did include a fairly substantial breakfast. It's not far from the ST complex (about 3 miles, if memory serves).
just a few takes here
good for Ejac, I am happy for him, however, it is moves like this is why the Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908
Why is anyone in a panic about the Nats and down on Rizzo?
We need a lefty closer and we need to resign ALR, that is all
also, the Mayans suck, lol
the one I looked up was farther than that. this one is like walking distance to the stadium. nice!
Price of Jordan Zimmermann just went up.
http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/index.php/jordan-zimmerman-unfairly-underrated/
Can SS possibly apply JZ's methods of pitching to contact? I think if he can moderate his K numbers and bring down BB numbers a bit more, that would be fantastic. hopefully he can last longer in games that way.
Gonat, LOL I doubt one article by FG changes things much. JZ's group knows his value I bet.
Faraz, I would say if the Nats sign him now they can overpay him for last Arb years but then they would have to buy him out of his FA years at $15 mill a year.
It would be great if they extended these guys without the drama involved like RZim and more of a surprise like they did with Gio.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/on-the-nationals-interest-in-adam-laroche/
Some nice unbiased comparisons of ALR and Morse.
Joe Seamhead said...
Besides, if the Mayans were really any good at making predictions they'd still be here.
Faraz Shaikh said...
JoeS, Mayans are still here.
----------------------
Joe, you wouldn't be Joey from Friends, by any chance?
: D
Joey: Do you suppose Homo sapiens died out because they were, y'know, homo sapiens?
Ross, exasperated: Joey, Homo sapiens are human beings!
Joey: I'm not judging, I'm just saying!
Gonat -- just because the shallow world of baseball pundits doesn't see JZimm clearly without the usual helping of hype, that doesn't mean the Nats, much less JZimm's agent, don't. If his value has gone up -- which it may have -- it's only because the pitching market as a whole has gone up. Which doesn't mean that JZimm would necessarily only sign an extension at maximum market value, because there's clearly a value to him to keep the team's winning core together, among guys he likes to play along side (as RZim did, and as I would expect Desi would do). They all seem smart enough to know that at those income levels, taking another 20% to be on the Cubs or Royals for five or six years is no bargain.
Alexva and sjm -- I agree with your general drift re EJax and the QO, but doubt it was anything as clear as an actual, even informal handshake deal. Remember, until late in the season when EJax's first inning implosions started becoming more frequent, Rizzo may well have been considering re-upping him for another couple of years (which I think EJax would have taken to stay on the team, which is probably why he axed Boras who was only interested in maximum market value, and % for himself, notwithstanding the players' desires).
JMO, I think Rizzo's lack of a QO for EJax was mostly or all Rizzo's wanting to set a straight-dealing and mutually-respectful tone for FAs as a signal about the kind of operation the Nats ran. In other words, the Nats would not make a QO on a player they weren't interested in re-signing, just as they let Flores and Lannan go without trying to maximize their trade value to the team (however little that may have been, it clearly was more than nothing). It ain't any kind of altruism, just a business style calculation that the increment of value they forgo in these cases is outweighed by the respect they show for players (especially like Lannan and Flores, who had paid their dues to the Nats, and EJax who was a great clubhouse and "I'll do whatever you need me to do" guy) -- and that that respect would make the Nats a team that the best players would want to come to and stay on.
Good Luck to Edwin. However, this deal is a prime example of why the Cubs are the Cubs and will continue to be the doormat in the National League for years to come.
Yes UnkyD. The point i was trying to make is that I think Haren is pretty much done. He has had a great career, certainly better than Lannans. But as the saying goes...that was then, this is now. i hope I am wrong. I am also glad he is signed for only one year.
Yes, there are still Mayans today, but I actually heard a mother tell her worried,young daughter that yesterday.I found it humorous. Meant no disrespect. I also found Sofa's comments humorous.I like to laugh, and like to bring laughs to others, but sometimes all I get is a BadaBing, BadaBoom.
In regards to EJax, I wish him well, but I won't miss him.
Seamhead: my niece once expressed worries about the impending end of the world. I inquired as to what she'd heard, and she said that some dude named Nostradamus was predicting it on the interwebz. My older niece LOL'd and informed her that the dude had not been among the living for quite some time. (Also, don't disrespect da Bing. ;-))
Post a Comment