Rumors have been making rounds that Tigers right-hander Edwin Jackson is being made available in trade, and given that he’s coming off an impressive 13-9, 3.62 ERA season, his trade value should be quite high as he should be relatively cheap until he’s a free agent after the 2011 season.
You would think that moving Jackson, who supposedly established himself as a solid #2 behind Justin Verlander this season, would be a mistake given his talent and improvement in 2009, but at this point, the Tigers may have a great opportunity to sell high.
His 4.28 FIP and 4.58 xFIP don’t support his impressive superficial statistics, and rather than continue his improvement into an elite starter, he’s more likely to regress next season, as his ERA was helped by Detroit’s quality defense and some good luck.
If the Tigers can market Jackson as a young top of the rotation starter that’s finally coming into his own after years of hype as a top prospect, then they could potentially land a massive haul, even though it’s likely that Jackson’s 2010 ERA is closer to his 4.42 mark from 2008 than his 3.62 mark from 2009.
The only problem with dealing Jackson would be Detroit’s short-term rotation, which would likely consist of Verlander, Rick Porcello, Jeremy Bonderman, Armando Galarraga and Nate Robertson if Jackson is dealt, and that rotation likely wouldn’t be enough to contend, even in the AL Central.
But freeing up some cash from dealing Jackson could land the team some good young prospects, something that the organization is lacking in, and then the team could pursue a starter on the free agent market. Given how much money the Tigers have coming off the books after 2010, moving Jackson for some young guys that could be ready to make an impact by 2011, could put the team in a great position to build around Miguel Cabrera and Verlander.
