Pirates Offered Edwin Jackson $10 Million Contract

It is being reported that the Pittsburgh Pirates offered Edwin Jackson a three year $10 million contract and also a separate one year $10 million one before Jackson signed a one year $11 million deal with the Washington Nationals.  It is nice to see the Pirates getting a little aggressive in free agency.  That three year offer is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but Jackson must feel confident that he will play himself into an even larger contract after this season.

The larger thing to take from this is the Bucs show that they are not settled with the rotation currently in place of Jeff Karstens, Erik Bedard, James McDonald, Charlie Morton, and Kevin Correia.  Incidentally, I listed the rotation in the order I hope to see it take shape barring any player additions.  I trust Karstens the most with handling the pressure of being the #1 guy and allowing the other pitchers to fall into their roles.  There is no question that Bedard, McDonald, and Morton have the greater talent, but there is something to be said for the emotional subtleties that can affect even professional athletes.  I think placing these pitchers in a slightly better position to be successful can pay big dividends down the road.  I can only guess that Correia would have been the odd man out if Jackson had been signed even though he led the team in victories last season.