Edwin Jackson, in the Final Year of His Cubs Contract, Faces the Cubs Tonight

edwin jackson featureThere haven’t been too many glaring mistakes made by the Chicago Cubs’ front office in the Theo Epstein-led era, which began following the 2011 season. The wins, of course, are too easy to find and too numerous to count. But the gaffes, they are fewer, farther between, and less impactful.

We just got the semi-annual reminder of one, as D.J. LeMahieu once again terrorized the Cubs, who traded him (together with Tyler Colvin) to the Rockies for Ian Stewart and Casey Weathers in December of 2011. Even at the time of the deal, especially with the Cubs rebuilding, I was totally on board with taking a chance on Stewart’s talent, and I didn’t see LeMahieu sticking as a big league bench player, much less the star he’s become.

Epstein’s front office was wrong on that one, and so was I. Given where the Cubs are now, especially in the infield – and given LeMahieu’s extreme home/road splits – I don’t know that anyone should be beating themselves up too much. A new front office came in, probably missed a thing or two in the quick evaluation process, and made a bad trade. It happens. They’ve made four great trades for every one that you could question.[adinserter block=”1″]

We’re about to be reminded of another front office mistake, and one of the more humbling mistakes of my own brief career as an armchair analysts. Tonight, Edwin Jackson will start for the San Diego Padres against the Cubs, and he’ll do it on the Cubs’ dime, playing out the final year of the improvident four-year, $52 million contract inked in the winter before the 2013 season.

At the time, while it certainly didn’t seem to anyone that the Cubs were about to be competitive, it did seem like the Cubs needed to start the process of adding pitching if they wanted to be competition in 2014/15/16. And, since you can only get guys when they’re actually available, it seemed to make plenty of sense to add the guy who had only just turned 29, and was open to signing what was, at the time, viewed as a very reasonable deal. I was very enthused by it.

Well. You know how that went.

Jackson, for as hard as he worked and as well-liked as he was, simply never pitched well for the Cubs. Those 2013 and 2014 seasons were deeply disappointing, and also a hard lesson for me in not becoming so slavishly devoted to advanced statistics. Routinely, when it came to Jackson’s results, I was ignoring what was right there in front of my face. I defended Jackson’s performance for months – years, really – as little more than baseball flukiness, due for a rebound at any moment. That rebound, of course, never came, because I had forgotten the all-too-obvious part about pitching well: the walks and strikeouts don’t really matter if the batters can consistently rip the ball. (And when the pitcher in question was never a huge strikeout/low walk guy in the first place, he’s living on the edge of a knife – let each of those rates take just a small hit, add in a lot more hard contact, and the compounded impact on results can be enormous.)[adinserter block=”2″]

In that way, from a personal standpoint, I actually look back fondly on Jackson’s frequently frustrating time with the Cubs, because I learned so much about pitcher evaluation, the relationship between performance and results, and how to adjust much more quickly to the possibility that you are wrong.

When this season ends, Jackson’s salary will shift off the books, which will help the Cubs going forward. I look forward to that.

For Jackson, tonight excluded, I hope he finds a way to rebound his career. Although he has twice flirted with a no-hitter with the Padres this year, his overall numbers are as ugly as they ever were with the Cubs.

I’d say the obvious, sarcastic thing about him finally helping the Cubs – i.e., with a poor performance tonight – but I know that it would probably serve me all too right if Jackson then managed to toss a 10-hit, 5-walk, 3-strikeout shutout against the Cubs.

written by

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

more cubs news

The Cubs Are Among the Most Returning-y Teams

I am still mostly incapacitated at the moment, so apologies for the short shrift on such an otherwise blessed day. In between pokes and prods, I wanted to share a chart I saw that was pretty interesting, even if unsurprising:...

Maybe the Cubs Are the Favorites in the NL Central, After All?

ESPN was the first to throw some love the Cubs way this week, with an overwhelming majority of their writers, analysts, and editors picking the Chicago Cubs to win the NL Central in 2024. But the love doesn't end there....

The Season Begins, Love for Morel, Counsell’s Value, and Other Cubs Bullets

You know where you want to spend your Opening Day morning? The hospital! Suffice to say, this is not how I imagined getting HYPED for the Cubs' opener. I guess I'll just have to think about all the possible lineup...

Cubs vs Rangers: The First Series of the Year!

Cubs vs Rangers — THE REGULAR SEASON IS HERE! Wake up and rejoice. Later tonight, the Cubs will begin their march toward October Baseball against the (reigning World Series champion) Texas Rangers in Arlington. Justin Steele is getting the nod...

The 2024 Chicago Cubs for Dummies

Boom. We made it. The offseason is over, and the Cubs regular season - and those elevated expectations - begins tomorrow. But in case you slept through the winter, I'm here to catch you up on everything you need to...

I’m Expecting More This Year, Cubs — It’s Time to Start Winning

There's no way around it: The Chicago Cubs did *not* have the offseason we hoped they might after making Craig Counsell the highest paid manager in MLB history. Not that they did poorly, mind you. Cody Bellinger, Shota Imanaga, and...

I Dug Deep on the Cubs 2024 Schedule (And I Like What I See)

Finally, with Cody Bellinger in the fold, we can start focusing more seriously on the season ahead. So today, I thought we'd take a look at the Cubs 2024 schedule. You can flip through the Cubs 2024 schedule right here...

Here’s What I’m Betting on the Cubs for Opening Day

I get it. Sports betting isn't for everyone — like, say, the interpreter for an international baseball superstar — but some of us quite enjoy it! If you are one of those people, this article is for you. Below, I'm...

WAKE UP, BASEBALL IS BACK

The day has arrived. Opening Day. The most glorious day on the baseball calendar, save for the day of each Chicago Cubs World Series win, of course. See, I get to say things like that on Opening Day. Maybe the...

Wrigley Field is Gonna Be Lit This Year (As in New Colored Lights!)

Last year, the Cubs started using their new LED outfield lights to do a little dancing display during 'Go Cubs Go,' lighting along with the song and throwing in a W. It was very fun and I liked it. This...

Latest News

Top 25 College Basketball Picks and Best Bets: March 28

The Illinois Fighting Illini and the Iowa State Cyclones hit the court in one of four games on the college basketball slate on Thursday that include a ranked team.How to Bet on Top 25 Games[lasso rel="draftkings-promo-1" id="299003"]Top 25 Games for...

Diamondbacks vs. Rockies Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Arizona Diamondbacks are moneyline favorites (-230) to begin their season with a home win over the Colorado Rockies on Thursday at 10:10 PM ET, live on ARID.Zac Gallen gets the starting nod for Arizona while Kyle Freeland is Colorado's...

Mariners vs. Red Sox Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Seattle Mariners are moneyline favorites (-162) to begin their season with a home win over the Boston Red Sox on Thursday at 10:10 PM ET, live on NESN.Luis Castillo starts for Seattle while Brayan Bello is Boston's starter for...

Guardians vs. Athletics Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Thursday, March 28, 2024

The Cleveland Guardians start their season as road favorites (-156) in a matchup with the Oakland Athletics on Thursday at 10:07 PM ET, live on NBCS-CA from Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.Cleveland's Shane Bieber and Oakland's Alex Wood have been named the...

Damian Lillard Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Pelicans – Thursday, March 28, 2024

To beat his 3-point prop, Damian Lillard must make four from downtown on Thursday, when his Milwaukee Bucks face the New Orleans Pelicans, tipping off at 8:00 PM ET.Damian Lillard's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the PelicansDamian Lillard's over/under for three-pointers...

Brook Lopez Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Pelicans – Thursday, March 28, 2024

To beat his 3-point prop, Brook Lopez needs to make two from downtown on Thursday, when his Milwaukee Bucks meet the New Orleans Pelicans, starting at 8:00 PM ET.Brook Lopez's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the PelicansBrook Lopez's over/under for three-pointers...

Giannis Antetokounmpo Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Pelicans – Thursday, March 28, 2024

Will Giannis Antetokounmpo make just a single 3-pointer when the Milwaukee Bucks play the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday at 8:00 PM ET? If so, he'll beat his over/under for the game.Giannis Antetokounmpo's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the PelicansGiannis Antetokounmpo's...

CJ McCollum Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Bucks – Thursday, March 28, 2024

To beat his 3-point over/under, CJ McCollum must make four from downtown on Thursday, when his New Orleans Pelicans play the Milwaukee Bucks, beginning at 8:00 PM ET.CJ McCollum's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the BucksCJ McCollum's over/under for three-pointers in...

Devils vs. Sabres Prediction: Odds, Picks, Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The New Jersey Devils are -115 on the moneyline and the Buffalo Sabres are at -105 for their game on Friday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.Devils vs. Sabres Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Devils (-115)Underdog: Sabres (-105)Total: 6.5Best Devils vs. Sabres Promo...

Guardians vs. Athletics Probable Starting Pitchers – March 28

The Cleveland Guardians (0-0) and the Oakland Athletics (0-0) match up on Thursday at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for Opening Day. First pitch is at 10:07 PM ET.The Guardians will give the nod to Shane Bieber against the Athletics and Alex...

more cubs news