As the waiver trade deadline is reaching its end, the Chicago Cubs have acquired outfielder Austin Jackson from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for a player to be named later and the Cubs' last international spot which is worth around $210,000. The Mariners will also send some cash in the deal as well.
Jackson has been the Mariners' everyday center fielder since they acquired him from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline in 2014. This season, the 28-year-old is hitting .272/.312/.387 with eight home runs, 38 RBI, and 15 stolen bases over 107 games. Jackson has been very hot at the plate of late, hitting .314 in August with an OPS of .778.
This move for the Cubs is mostly for depth as they are in need of a right-handed hitting outfielder with Jorge Soler currently spending time on the disabled list. Jackson will be a good outfield option for the Cubs going forward towards the playoffs.
Dexter Fowler is the Cubs current center fielder, but Jackson will be a good platoon man in the corner outfield spots if that's what manager Joe Maddon wants to do down the stretch. Kyle Schwarber, Chris Coghlan, Chris Denorfia and Matt Szczur have been the corner outfielders for Chicago since they lost Soler to the DL.
Jackson is a free agent after 2015, so the Mariners wanted to get something for him before his contract expires and shed some of his contract. It is unclear if they will attempt to re-sign him, but he was the Mariners top outfielder with a defensive WAR of 8.2 in the 2015 season.
As for the Mariners, this was interim general manager Jeff Kingston's first major move and with Seattle being so far out of the race as we move to September, this gives them a chance to look at their in-house options heading into the offseason. Brad Miller and Ketel Marte will get some looks in center field as the season winds down, and depending on how the new front office likes their performance they could decide whether the Mariners want to pursue Jackson in the offseason.