Ranking the Blue Jays pending free agents by likelihood of them re-signing

2. Jay Jackson

What can we say about Jay Jackson? He has definitely been a great person and a great player overall during his abbreviated stints with the Jays this season. Since pitching in his season debut for the Jays back on May 6th against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Jackson has been absolute money for the ballclub other than a three-game stretch near the middle of August. Unfortunately, the numbers game eventually caught up to him as key members from the pitching staff were returning from the IL. As a result, he was sent back to the minors on September 11th.

In his 23 appearances for the Jays, Jackson went 3-1 with a stellar 2.36 ERA, 0.938 WHIP, surrendering only seven earned runs, along with eight walks and 25 strikeouts in 26.2 innings pitched. He certainly got the job done more often than not without much stress and definitely deserves another shot with the big league club down the road.

Jackson had his best season ever in MLB this year with the Jays, and for someone that will be turning 36 at the end of October, he probably just wants some job security more than any big, long-term contract as he looks ahead to retirement in a few years. As a result, given his success with his current ballclub, along with the fact that he was well-liked by many during his time with the big league club, there is a great chance that the Jays will re-sign him to a reasonable deal for depth pitching for their bullpen. To be honest, at this stage of his career, Jackson will probably take anything that gives him any chance to shine once more before calling it a career.

Verdict: Highly likely he re-signs.