Most of the big free-agent names in Major League Baseball are off of the board now, allowing teams that came up short in the Josh Hamilton, Zack Greinke and B. J. Upton sweepstakes to try and find a consolation prize.
Free-agent starting pitcher Edwin Jackson, who pitched well if not spectacularly for the Washington Nationals last season, is still available. And according to the Twitter feed of Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, the San Diego Padres are “strongly pursuing” Jackson.
San Diego would be Jackson’s seventh big-league team in his 11 seasons. The well-traveled right-hander has packed a lot into those years, including an All-Star appearance with the 2009 Detroit Tigers.
He threw one of the ugliest no-hitters in history on June 25, 2010 as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He may have walked eight in the 1-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, but it was still a no-hitter, something the Padres have never had in their history.
Jackson has pitched in a pair of World Series and was a member of the 2011 world champion Cardinals, where he won the critical Game 4 of the Division Series against the Phillies, holding off elimination in the process.
That’s enough for anyone to consider plenty for an entire career. But Jackson will only be 29 next season.
If healthy, he can provide the Padres with around 200 solid, if not Cy Young-worthy, innings. For a team with lots of young talent that happens to play in a pitchers’ ballpark, Jackson would be a welcome addition.
Put Jackson on a rotation along with Clayton Richard, Edinson Volquez, Eric Stults and Jason Marquis, then maybe the team that finished the year 48-36 can continue its winning ways.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com