It might seem odd that a World Series champion from last season still doesn’t know where he will play next season.
Former Shaw High standout Edwin Jackson finished last season with the St. Louis Cardinals after being part of two trades that landed him with the Cardinals.
One of the players involved in the deal being traded away from the Cardinals was former Russell County High star Colby Rasmus.
Jackson became a free agent after the end of last season, meaning he could sign with any team in the majors.
So far, with just over two weeks until pitchers and catchers report Feb. 14, Jackson still has not agreed to a contract with anyone.
If media reports out there are to be believed, Jackson and his agent, Scott Boras, went into the free-agency period looking for something in the neighborhood of a four-year deal worth $60 million.
The latest report or tweet from Ken Rosenthal, a baseball reporter for Fox Sports, has at least one team more than one willing to offer Jackson a multiyear deal.
TheOriolesNews.com reported Saturday that Baltimore was one of those teams, offering Jackson a four-year deal.
Jim Bowden, a former general manager for the Nationals who now hosts a show on ESPN Radio, reported this week Boras told him Jackson might benefit from a one-year deal. The thought being, of course, is that Jackson has a good year and the market for the right-hander would be stronger for the 2013 season.
Jackson is a pitcher who intrigues and scares some teams. He has good enough stuff to pitch a no-hitter every start. And he did just that in 2010, when, as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks, he no-hit the Tampa Bay Rays. But it is also worth noting Jackson walked eight batters that day.
For his nine-year career, Jackson is 60-60. But he finished last season strong, going 5-2 with a 3.58 ERA for the Cardinals after the trade. Without his win in Game 4 of the National League Division Series, the Cardinals would have been eliminated well before the World Series.
It is also worth noting Jackson is still incredibly young in his pitching career. He pitched only sparingly for Shaw, so his pitching career didn’t actually start until he became a professional after being drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
His new team will get a pitcher long on potential, but the question becomes how much is that potential worth.
Kevin Price, 706-320-4493, kprice@ledger-enquirer.com
