Good thing the Red Sox got Ryan Dempster, who is totally going to win them the division!!!!!!

Though I have to say, Jackson would have the potential to drive me up the wall, based on my own observations and some of the comments of the BBTF fans of his past teams (in other words, about half the teams in MLB). Sort of a combination of Steve Trachsel and Javier Vazquez (which, strictly on the merits, you could do a lot worse than, but you get my drift).

Crap, I just realized that I've been thinking of Javier Vazquez every time someone says Edwin Jackson. Like after reading post 35 I was thinking "Jackson is young? On what planet?" and then started trying to figure out who MCOA was talking about, like some prospect that the Cubs should trade for.

they really have to add Jackson or somebody now just to make the next couple years watchable

If Edwin Jackson is the guy you need to add to salvage your team's watchability ... well, that's just not a good place to be.

If Edwin Jackson is the guy you need to add to salvage your team's watchability ... well, that's just not a good place to be.

Trust me, I said the same thing to myself as I was typing the original post, which doesn't make it any less true. (You ever watch Casey Coleman start a major league game? [Or, yet, Casey Coleman and Chris Volstad back to back?] I rest my case.)

But, that's where we are; the Cub pitching staff consists of Samardzija, Garza, and a boatload of question marks, and there's nothing resembling a surefire pitching prospect in the system (at least, one who's within shouting distance of the majors). So, a couple hundred innings of aggravating cromulence will in fact enhance the team's watchability considerably. This does, to be fair, mark an improvement over the end of last season, which was merely a whole boatload of crap, once Samardzija got shut down.

Good thing the Red Sox got Ryan Dempster, who is totally going to win them the division!!!!!!

Who are you talking to?

They're not paying him like that sort of guy. He's getting John Lackey money.



Exactly. This is the new going rate for pitchers of Anibal's caliber, like it or not.

I understand that - again, 5/75 or 5/80 wasn't so much my issue... it's more not having that guy that's 7/160 (or worth 7/160) which, again, I completely understand isn't something you can just go out and get.

Maybe a better way to look at it -- Sanibal is BETTER than perfectly cromulent, but the current state Cubs signing him to 5/80 would probably be no better than cromulent.

I recognize ya gotta start somewhere - and I suppose I'm in the same boat as Retro... almost gotta root for making a run at Jackson.

I'm not all that unhappy Thed decided not to enter a bidding war here (although - rumor this morning was that the Cubs had sweetened their offer, too). Granted, it's not my money - so maybe I should be unhappy - but I'd have been much happier if Thed had, say, found a way to get on the Bauer fleecing.

More than anything, the Cubs need high upside young pitching. Given the lack of chits and new foreign FA and ammy rules (not to mention no sure things even before that) - that pretty much means Thed need to start hoarding prospects whose stars have dimmed, prospects coming off big injuries, etc, and hope one or two of them pan out.

Heck - I think I'd have been sniffing around the Shields deal to see if there's some spare part the Rays might have liked better than the Montgomery lottery ticket.

If Edwin Jackson is the guy you need to add to salvage your team's watchability ... well, that's just not a good place to be.

Not that they were ever known to be in the Sanchez, Dempster or Jackson price ranges, but the Rockies had disastrous rotation in 2012 and so far have added...Daniel Rosenbaum in the rule 5 draft.

Current candidates:
Jorge De La Rosa (out most of 2012 recovering from TJ surgery; velocity way down on return)
Jhoulys Chacin (missed much of the season with a pec injury)
Jeff Francis
Juan Nicasio (missed time with knee injury)
Drew Pomeranz (decent? rookie year, missed a few starts with some shoulder thing)
Christian Friedrich (rough rookie year, missed starts with an elbow thing I think)
Tyler Chatwood (up and down 2012)

Even if these guys manage to pitch well, I don't think they can stay healthy enough to cover 162 starts.

Not that they were ever known to be in the Sanchez, Dempster or Jackson price ranges, but the Rockies had disastrous rotation in 2012 and so far have added...Daniel Rosenbaum in the rule 5 draft.

Current candidates:
Jorge De La Rosa (out most of 2012 recovering from TJ surgery; velocity way down on return)
Jhoulys Chacin (missed much of the season with a pec injury)
Jeff Francis
Juan Nicasio (missed time with knee injury)
Drew Pomeranz (decent? rookie year, missed a few starts with some shoulder thing)
Christian Friedrich (rough rookie year, missed starts with an elbow thing I think)
Tyler Chatwood (up and down 2012)

Even if these guys manage to pitch well, I don't think they can stay healthy enough to cover 162 starts.

Casey Coleman is available.

John Lackey was considered to be a number 1 when he entered into FA. (How rightly or wrongly that was.)

John Lackey was considered to be a number 1 when he entered into FA. (How rightly or wrongly that was.)

With pretty serious injury concerns. You are correct that his quality level was higher, but he only threw 340 IP the last 2 years in LA. He missed significant time both years with elbow issue.

Not that they were ever known to be in the Sanchez, Dempster or Jackson price ranges, but the Rockies had disastrous rotation in 2012 and so far have added...Daniel Rosenbaum in the rule 5 draft.

And traded Alex White for a reliever. After getting rid of every player over 21 years of age, the Astros ACQUIRED a veteran* player from the Rockies.

*"veteran" meaning "not a rookie" in Astros world

Not that they were ever known to be in the Sanchez, Dempster or Jackson price ranges, but the Rockies had disastrous rotation in 2012 and so far have added...Daniel Rosenbaum in the rule 5 draft.

I like Rosenbaum and feel as though he can develop into a serviceable John Lannan clone - but yeah, I wouldn't be too excited if he was the main addition to my team.

I wonder if they'll go after John Lannan as well.

Yeah ... and there are only 35 pitchers with more (MLB) IP over that time period. Do you want the guy who's been healthy for 3 years and injured before that or the guy who was healthy before that but injured in the last 3 years? 3 straight healthy years is HIGH durability -- that could end with his next pitch ... just like Strasburg. If you're looking for less "shaky" than that, you're on a pretty pointless quest.

There's one on the free agent market right now. His name is Edwin Jackson. He's pitched a few fewer innings than Sanchez in the past 3 years, but he's been pitching full seasons since 2007.

Also, I didn't use the word "shaky", so putting it quotes is a bit odd. The point is that a 3-year time horizon is a bit favorable to Sanchez.

Not that they were ever known to be in the Sanchez, Dempster or Jackson price ranges, but the Rockies had disastrous rotation in 2012 and so far have added...Daniel Rosenbaum in the rule 5 draft.

Eh, that doesn't worry me too much. Everyone on the list is either very young or has some history of success. When the Rockies were good, it was because they found young talent and let it play its way into the lineup. It wasn't because they went after guys like Edwin Jackson (or Michael Cuddyer, for that matter).

I would much rather see if Drew Pomeranz can become a good starting pitcher than slap a retread like John Lannan into the rotation.

Pomeranz is fine, but are any of the guys on that list a good bet for 160 innings? They seemed in a lot better shape last year with lots of good depth options, though unfortunately almost no one worked out.

If you draw it at RA Dickey (ERA+ of 129 last 3 years) then there are only 13 aces.

I didn't see it mentioned, but this seems godawful high.

An ERA+ of 129 is as good or better than a solid Hall of Famer's typical season, even if you knock off a couple of crappy years at the start and end of their careers. Smoltz as a starter, without his bad seasons at the start and finish, put him around 129. You have to stretch a little to get Schilling to 129. Maddux, undoctored, as a career ERA+ of 132, so we can take his career, whole, and he's just above the line.

I don't think of an ace as a pitcher who's having a HOF season.
Do other people?

John Lackey was considered to be a number 1 when he entered into FA. (How rightly or wrongly that was.)

My recollection was the he was considered solidly on the line between a 1/2. There was a lot of debate about it.

Lackey hadn't been the best pitcher on the Angels in the two years leading to FA. Weaver was as good, but more durable one year. Santana was better, and more durable the other. Lackey had had his great year, his lucky year, in 2007, but the four years surrounding it were all around the same level, and his peripherals (and durability) were getting worse (still good, of course). His walks improved, but that was about it. It seemed like he was holding on by staying around the plate. Otherwise, he was striking out fewer guys, giving up more HRs, giving up more hits, certainly pitching fewer innings.