8/20 Cubs (Jackson) vs. Giants (Peavy) WCIU 7:05

[Guest]

I've been a little hesitant with Jackson to the pen if only as an effort to save some face when trying to trade him this offseason, but it's becoming clear him staying in the rotation is sabotaging his value more than anything. There's guys that need these MLB starts, let Jackson get his head right in the pen, and depending on how the last 5+ weeks and some of the offseason shake out, you strongly consider trading him for whatever money you can free up(especially 2016 money). Jackson's big appeal has been in consistency if not 4-5 win upside. When we can't even count on him for a baseline of performance and there's so many red flags(performance, velocity, age), it's hard to give him too much benefit of the doubt over Hendricks, Wada, Turner, and Straily. At that point he's a 13 million swingman, so just cut bait. The depth 'problem' isn't going to get better with Edwards/Johnson approaching and FA pitching likely added on top.

[Sammy Sofa]

What happens if he says no/causes a big stink about it?

 

He's not going to. He's been very honest and blunt to the media about his poor performance all season (he actually sounds like a really good guy, FYI). This was tonight:

 

@CSNMooney: E-Jax says “no one wants to be moved" to bullpen "but if it happens the only thing you can do if you don’t like it (is) pitch your way out."

 

Well, that's good to see. If in the same position, I would probably have a defeatist attitude. It's got to be tough on him to be going through this; it's not like he wants to suck.

 

Man, looking at the guy's reactions in his start and he knows how bad he's been. Every time I start getting mad at him they show a shot of him looking like Charlie Brown up there. I keep expecting the next one to just show him laying dazed on the mound with all of his clothes exploded off of him.