Due to the rumor Ed Price leaked about Edwin Jackson being traded to the Mets, (which has been denied by the Mets) Tigers fans are starting to freak out a little. One thing that is being reported that will not shock me, is a trade involving Edwin Jackson.
Originally, I said I would be surprised if the Tigers traded Edwin and Curtis Granderson, but I’m opening up to being an advocate of at least trading Edwin. Edwin Jackson is a young pitcher who has the stuff to develop into one of the best pitchers in the league, no doubt. However, he hasn’t put it all together for a complete season, and if that’s a trend, then he’s not as valuable as one might think.
Check out his splits from this past season via Baseball Reference.
As you can see, Edwin Jackson’s second half splits are not good. If that’s the pitcher Detroit thinks they have, then by all means, trade him before other teams figure it out. Obviously, anyone willing to trade for him knows about his poor second half, which means they think he has the ability to pitch like he did in the first half for an entire season.
The only problem is, he’s had seven years in the bigs and he’s never put together a complete, season. His career ERA is 4.66 and he was just as bad in 2008 in the second half of the season, which cost him a spot in the Rays playoff rotation. Signs are indicating that Edwin is not a full-season pitcher and for that, he’s not worth the money he might require to lock up longterm. For that, the Tigers would be smart to trade him, getting the most out of him now, before Edwin’s value goes down with more inconsistent seasons.
As for Curtis Granderson, I’d be unhappy about a trade involving him. However, keep in mind, he has platoon inducing numbers against LHPs. He’s a career .210 hitter against LHPs and if the Tigers feel that is not going to improve, then he’s simply not worth the money he is owed over the next three-to-four seasons, even if it is considered by most to be cheap.
All in all, remember that DD’s not giving these players away. He’s demanding a lot in return for them. If Edwin and Curtis are indeed traded, then the Tigers will presumably get a slew of top notch prospects in return. I admit, it’s tough to really like a trade when you don’t know who the hell you’re getting in return and you’ve grown so fond of the big-named players like Granderson. It’s also easy to remember DD’s latest trade blunders (Jurrjens, Washburn, Huff), but he’s got a great resume in terms of making productive moves and I do not encourage beliefs that he’s automatically up to no good here.
No matter what, let’s sit back and wait until we hear something with substance, unlike this piece, before we start having heart attacks.
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