Nationals agree to terms with 28 year-old right-hander Edwin Jackson on one-year contract

The Washington Nationals today agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Edwin Jackson on a one-year contract, pending a physical. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

Jackson joins the Nationals after going 12-9 with a 3.79 ERA in 32 games/31 starts for the Cardinals and White Sox last season. A key pennant-race acquisition for the Cardinals in late July, Jackson's 5-2 record and 3.58 ERA helped St. Louis catch Atlanta, secure the National League Wild Card and subsequently win the World Series in seven games over the Rangers.

Last season, Jackson's average fastball velocity of 94.7 m.p.h. ranked third in MLB among qualified starters. He joins a Nationals rotation that will include Jordan Zimmermann (12th, 93.3 m.p.h.) and Gio Gonzalez (20th, 92.2 m.p.h.), all three of whom rank among MLB's Top 20 last season (among those returning in 2012). Washington's rotation will also include Stephen Strasburg, who made only five starts in 2011, but whose average fastball velocity of 96.0 m.p.h. would have led MLB with enough innings to qualify.

Via his 12-win effort in 2011, Jackson registered a double-digit win total for a fourth consecutive season. He is one of only 23 starting pitchers that can currently make that claim. In the same four seasons, Jackson is one of 20 starters to average at least 12 wins and 200 innings per year.

The 28 year-old Jackson is 60-60 with a 4.46 ERA in 203 games/173 starts in nine seasons since debuting with the Dodgers in 2003. He has posted five straight 30-start seasons, averaged over 200 innings the last four years and walked less than 3.0 batters per 9.0 innings twice in the last three campaigns.

Jackson's finest season came at the age of 25 with the Tigers, as he finished 13-9 with a 3.62 ERA in 33 starts and garnered a spot on the 2009 American League All-Star team. Less than one year later-on June 25, 2010 at Tampa Bay-Jackson threw a no-hitter while pitching for the Diamondbacks. His post-season experience spans two Octobers (2011 with the Cardinals, 2008 with the Rays) and includes seven games, four starts and two trips to the World Series.