It's official. The Diamonbacks have moved Edwin Jackson and his $8.75 million contract for next season to the Chicago White Sox for pitching prospects David Holmbert and Dan Hudson.
Not only will Edwin be missed for the no-hitter he threw this season - a bright spot in an otherwise very dark year - but his toughness and character is exactly what this team needs. But I guess they need to move salary more.
Holmberg is a 6-foot-4, 19-year-old lefty who was drafted in the second round of the 2009 draft. He's got an ERA of Who Cares (4.59).
Hudson is a 23-year-old right-handed pitcher that has an ERA of 4.72 in a total of nine games at the major league level.
Rumors suggest that the White Sox could be flipping Edwin to the Nationals in another deal where he can play the role of Miss Nebraska to Miguel Batista's Miss Iowa.
Folks, Randy Johnson isn't walking through that door anytime soon.The rest of this season is going to be a real grind.
Editorial note:
It's not that the Diamondbacks are necessarily wrong to dump salary, re-stock the farm system and start over. Things obviously weren't working and if they spend the savings this winter on talented, experienced players as they claim they will than the plan will pay off.
In the mean time, it is pretty hard to get excited about seeing the team's best guys get shipped out. The rest of this season is going to be very painful.
AZ Snakepit calls Hudson the prize of the deal and has a bag of mixed feedback from a variety of sources on his potential:
Kirk Champion, the White Sox minor league pitching coach, really liked Hudson, saying, "If I sound excited about him, it’s because I’ve seen him step in and climb over other guys I liked all season long, in three buildings.” John Sickels rated Hudson the White Sox top prospect this winter, saying " I rated him as a big sleeper pre-season and he really broke through." Baseball Prospectus concurred: "Hudson combines plus stuff with well above-average command. His 92-94 mph fastball can touch 96 and features good tailing action, and he throws strikes to both sides of the plate with it. His best secondary offering is a plus changeup that is a true swing-and-miss pitch."
There is some debate about Hudson's slider. Some like it, saying "His above average slider is his strikeout pitch and it has looked like a plus pitch at times," and Baseball America rated it the best slider in the White Sox organization. Others are less impressed: "His 3rd offering is a mediocre Slider that he succeeded by avoiding in the lower Minors, but won’t be so fortunate with the Big League club." Baseball Prospectus took the middle ground: "Hudson's slider flashed average, but it is inconsistent. He'll need to establish it more as a starter in the big leagues."
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