The Miami Marlins officially signed starting pitcher Edwin Jackson on Wednesday with hopes of bolstering their rotation.
Joe Frisaro of MLB.com confirmed the addition to the team’s staff.
Mike Axisa of CBS Sports noted Jackson is slated to receive the league minimum ($507,500) from Miami while still getting the remaining portion of his 2016 salary ($13 million) from the Cubs. CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman previously reported the deal is expected to include a no-trade clause, as well.
Jackson spent last season working out of the bullpen during stints with the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves. He posted a solid 3.07 ERA and 1.17 WHIP across 47 appearances while striking out 40 batters in 55.2 innings.
Those numbers represented a nice turnaround after a disastrous 2014 campaign with Chicago that saw him go 6-15 with a 6.33 in 28 games (27 starts).
He should get an opportunity to earn a place in the starting rotation during spring training. The Marlins have a promising one-two punch in Jose Fernandez and Wei-Yin Chen—the latter signed a five-year deal Tuesday, as reported to Buster Olney of ESPN—but the team is looking to fill the remaining spots.
Jackson is likely to battle the likes of Tom Koehler, Brad Hand, Jarred Cosart and David Phelps for the final three spots on the starting staff.
Control is the most important factor. He’s finished with an ERA below 4.00 just twice in his eight seasons as a full-time starter. In both cases, his walks per nine were below three. By comparison, his career mark in the category is 3.51 per nine, per Fangraphs.
The good news for Miami is Jackson’s reliable work out of the bullpen last season means they can shift him there if his efforts to lock up a rotation spot fall short. It should help him become a useful piece of the staff in one form or another in 2016.
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