OAKLAND -- Edwin Jackson signed a Minor League deal with the A’s in April hoping it would lead to a promotion to the Major Leagues at some point. It looks like that will come to fruition, just with a different club.
Just before Saturday afternoon’s game against the Indians, the A’s announced the trade of Jackson to the Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations. Jackson is expected to join Toronto in San Francisco later this week for a series against the Giants, making it the 14th different MLB club he’s pitched for, breaking the record of 13 he shared with former reliever Octavio Dotel.
“More than anything, he had a big league job offer, and we weren’t going to stand in his way,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “We didn’t have it for him right now and we think so much of him. We love him here, and who knows how the season plays out, but it was more about getting him a big league job.”
Jackson was currently pitching at Triple-A Las Vegas, where he compiled an 8.38 ERA over two starts. With Daniel Mengden getting the call up from Triple-A to start Sunday’s game and Chris Bassitt pitching well, Jackson appeared to be blocked from a rotation spot with Oakland. He was a key piece to the A's 2018 run to the postseason, as he and Mike Fiers anchored the staff for most of the second half. Jackson posted a 3.33 ERA in 17 starts, and the A's won 14 of those games.
“We wish him the best,” Fiers said. “It would be great if he was pitching for us, because we know what type of guy he is. He loves everybody and supports everyone. It’s tough because everyone wanted him back, but at the same time, we’re happy that he’s got a job.”
The 'opener' returns
The A’s introduced an opener strategy in the final month of the 2018 season. It started out as an experiment but soon became a regularity that they even utilized in the AL Wild Card Game at Yankee Stadium last October. After a brief hiatus from the strategy this year, they opted for it for the first time in Saturday’s 3-2, walk-off win against the Indians.
Liam Hendriks opened the game and pitched a scoreless first inning with one strikeout before handing the ball over to originally-scheduled starter Aaron Brooks. Hendriks' outing continued his trend from last year, when the A’s went 4-4 in the eight regular-season games he started and he did not allow a run in seven of those eight games.
“He’s had his experience with it,” Melvin said. “We’re trying to go with the guy who has experience. [Cleveland is] predominantly left-handed and he’s got some good numbers against lefties.
“The theory is you keep the starter off the top of the order one more time. It’s as simple as that.”
A’s targeting Sunday return for Khrush
Khris Davis (left hip contusion) was feeling better when he arrived in the A’s clubhouse Saturday, but not enough to get him back in the starting lineup. After missing his third consecutive game, the A’s are cautiously optimistic about a return on Sunday.
“He feels better again today. I’d try to handicap it for tomorrow, but I’ve been wrong,” Melvin said. “That’s kind of the day we’ve been targeting. We’ll see tomorrow.”