PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks traded away an all-star pitcher for the second time in a week, sending right-hander Edwin Jackson to the Chicago White Sox on Friday for rookie Daniel Hudson and prospect David Holmberg.
Arizona shipped three-time all-star Dan Haren to the Los Angeles Angels for left-hander Joe Saunders and three other players last week. The last-place Diamondbacks continued their rebuilding project by moving Jackson, an all-star in 2009 who tossed the second no-hitter in franchise history June 25 against Tampa Bay.
“Edwin Jackson did a terrific job. We appreciate everything he’s done for us,” Diamondbacks interim general manager Jerry Dipoto said. “He threw a big no-hitter for us against Tampa Bay and was a quality individual who brought a lot to our team, but we felt like this was a great opportunity for us to build toward the future with Daniel Hudson and even further in the future with a prospect like David Holmberg.”
Arizona’s purge gives Chicago a solid addition to its rotation, which is missing injured right-hander Jake Peavy, the 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner. The White Sox began the day with a 1 1/2-game lead in the AL Central over Minnesota.
Jackson was 6-10 with a 5.16 earned-run average in 21 starts for the Diamondbacks this year, coming off an all-star season in which he went 13-9 with a 3.62 ERA in 33 starts covering 214 innings for Detroit.
The 27-year-old has exceptional stuff, but has been known to have control problems. Jackson issued eight walks in his 149-pitch no-hitter against the Rays and averages more than four walks per nine innings, well above the league average.
The move makes the Diamondbacks younger and allows them to trim the nearly US$10 million in salary Jackson is due through 2011 under the two-year contract he signed before this season.
Hudson, a 23-year-old right-hander, has been one of Chicago’s top prospects since being selected by the White Sox in the fifth round of the 2008 amateur draft, going 30-13 with a 2.90 ERA in 57 minor league games from 2008-10. He was Chicago’s minor league pitcher of the year last season and has made three starts in the majors this year, going 1-1 with a 6.32 ERA.
Hudson is 2-2 with a 7.34 ERA in nine games with the big league club over the past two seasons and will join the Diamondbacks in New York for their series with the Mets.
He was scheduled to arrive Friday night, Gibson said, and could be slotted into the rotation as early as Sunday’s series finale.
Holmberg, a 19-year-old left-hander, was a second-round pick by the White Sox last year and has spent the past two seasons in the lower levels of the organization, going 3-3 with a 4.02 ERA in 21 games, including 14 starts.
Berkman to the Yanks
NEW YORK — Lance Berkman is headed to the New York Yankees, who plan to complete a deal to acquire the former all-star from the Houston Astros today, a day after the World Series champions obtained outfielder Austin Kearns from the Cleveland Indians.
New York will send a couple of prospects to the Astros, likely to be reliever Mark Melancon and infielder Jimmy Paredes, and Houston will pay part of what Berkman is owed, a baseball executive familiar with the discussions said Friday night. The executive spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.
Berkman didn’t play Friday night against Milwaukee, and his Astros teammates said their goodbyes.
A five-time all-star, Berkman had full no-trade rights and his approval was necessary for a trade, accounting for the delay in its completion.
“I’m from Texas. Heck, I played at Rice. This city is like the womb. I feel very comfortable here. To think about the possibility of going anywhere else is kind of scary,” Berkman said.
Kearns left Cleveland’s game at Toronto in the seventh inning and was traded to the Yankees for a player to be named or cash. The former first-round draft pick is hitting .272 with eight homers and 42 RBIs.
Kearns will join the Yankees on Saturday.
The 34-year-old Berkman is hitting .245 with 13 homers and 49 RBIs. He has 60 walks and 70 strikeouts in 298 at-bats.