Today over at Baseball Nation, I took a look at Edwin Jackson and the 2013 starting pitcher market. The reasoning behind this is that Jackson reportedly has a few one-year offers lined up courtesy of the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals, while the Orioles are out there saying they would go four years on Jackson if he'd have them.
Basically, there are a whole lot of free agent starting pitchers who also happen to have some ability becoming free agents in 2013. Not as many as there could be, given nearly one-third of them have favorable club options attached to their contracts, but still, a significant number of starting pitchers potentially switching jobs.
More starting pitchers on the market means more starting pitcher vacancies to fill. The Red Sox and Cardinals would benefit from a one-year deal with Edwin Jackson, as it wouldn't tie up their future but would solidify the present day, but Jackson would benefit from such an arrangement as well. If Nick Cardado's report yesterday is accurate, Jackson's agent, Scott Boras, is aware of this as well. Waiting a year would also mean he didn't need to pitch for the as-of-now likely last place team in the AL East for four years.
With Roy Oswalt seemingly infatuated with Texas, and a Gavin Floyd trade looking like it's going to happen later rather than sooner (if at all), how does Jackson on a one-year deal within the constraints of Boston's budget sound? (Besides surprisingly plausible.)