The Detroit Tigers are set to acquire right-hander Edwin Jackson from the Tampa Bay Rays for outfielder Matt Joyce, according to a major-league source.
All the standard stuff applies about this just being a rumor that has yet to go official, but considering it's stated so matter-of-factly, I lend it more credence, and oh my God Detroit what are you doing
Matt Joyce's name has come up a lot recently in Putz discussions. He's a 24 year old corner outfielder equipped with, at the very least, league-average defense and league-average offense. The former, though, may in actuality be quite a bit better than that, and he has enough upside to improve upon his standing in the latter as well. He's also under cheap team control for another five or six years.
In exchange for this nifty little player, the Tigers are getting a guy who sucks a lot. In 2007, Jackson's tRA ranked 122nd out of 129 qualified starting pitchers. In 2008, it ranked 110th out of 130. Everybody always talks about his awesome stuff, but all that awesome stuff has given him is a Major League career and wildly awful results, and while he may be able to put it together down the road, it's more likely that he just continues to be terrible until people stop giving him work.
A contract extension for Dontrelle Willis and a trade for Edwin Jackson. Congratulations, Detroit. You're retarded.