North Shore Nine

With Andrew McCutchen‘s signing official, the Pirates have designated Andre Jackson for assignment to make room for the former MVP, per Alex Stumpf of DK Pittsburgh Sports.

Jackson was acquired in June last season and was relied upon for 43 2/3 innings down the stretch. He pitched quite admirably, posting a 4.33 ERA over 12 games (7 starts) with a 23% strikeout rate. He also won the NS9 V05 Fanboy Award for best hair on the team.

There are certainly less interesting arms on the roster, but Jackson’s roster flexibility seems to be in play here as he is lacking any remaining options, meaning he would have needed to break camp with the team or be DFA’d at the start of the season.

The roster now sits at 40, with another spot needing cleared when the Martin Perez signing becomes official.

UPDATE:

Andre Jackson is pursuing an opportunity in Japan, per Stumpf.