Blue Jays reliever will be free agent this winter

Due to particular language in the MLB contract he signed with the Blue Jays prior to Opening Day, Jay Jackson will be a free agent this winter despite lacking the regulation six years of big league service time, Jays Journal’s Eric Treuden writes. This isn’t the first time Jackson has pursued this route, as Treuden notes that Jackson had similar free-agent language written into prior contracts with the Brewers and Giants over the last four years.

Players with between three years and six years of service time are usually under team control, via salary arbitration. However, this normal structure is an imperfect fit for players like Jackson, who made his MLB debut at a relatively late age (27) and who have bounced around to several different teams in both North America and Japan. Though 2023 is Jackson’s age-35 season and he has previously pitched in parts of four MLB campaigns from 2015-22, he still only had one year and 105 days of official service time heading into Opening Day. Rather than tie himself to the Blue Jays organization for years to come, Jackson and his representatives arranged a re-entry into the free=agent market at the completion of his one-year deal with Toronto.

Over 27 2/3 innings with the Jays, Jackson has looked quite sharp in posting a 2.28 ERA over 27 2/3 innings, as well as a 22.9% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate. This performance is all the more impressive considering how Jackson’s focus has been on matters far more important than baseball, as Jackson and his fiancée have been caring for a newborn who came 15 weeks premature.  As a result, Jackson has spent time on the family emergency list, and also spend numerous off-days traveling to Utah to be his family.

His son’s health situation is sure to factor into Jackson’s next contractual decision, as it stands to reason that he might prefer to join a team closer to home. That said, Jackson signed with the Blue Jays because he prioritized pitching for a contender, and by all accounts the club has enjoyed Jackson’s contributions both on the field and in the clubhouse, so the Jays figure to have some interest in offering Jackson a new deal.