Chicago White Sox: Edwin Jackson Hasn't Been Worth the Loss of Daniel Hudson

The Chicago White Sox got the meat of their interleague schedule under way Friday night when they dropped a 4-1 decision to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The pitching matchup in the opener provided Chicago GM Kenny Williams the opportunity to look back on his deal for Edwin Jackson and ask, "What if?"

That's because the White Sox fell prey to the right arm of Daniel Hudson, one of the young arms Williams dealt to obtain Jackson last July.  Hudson scattered three hits on the way to his first career complete game and doubled in a run to boot.

At the time, the loss of Jake Peavy forced Williams to make a decision with the White Sox rotation. Instead of relying on Hudson, who had made three starts for Chicago and was 1-1, he elected to trade for a veteran arm in Jackson, dealing Hudson as well as teenage prospect David Holmberg.

Holmberg, who is 7-3 with a 2.61 ERA in low A-ball for the Diamondbacks' Midwest League team in South Bend, and Hudson brought Jackson and most of his two-year, $12.55 million contract to Chicago. This wasn't a surprising move to those of us who know Willams' MO. Williams prefers veterans and uses the farm system to collect established players in moves just like this.

In this case, upgrading to a more expensive arm hasn't been the same as getting a better one.

While Jackson went 4-2 the rest of the way in 2010, he wasn't the piece that pushed Chicago to a division title last season. Since the trade, he had gone 8-7 with an 3.83 ERA before Friday's start.

That sounds all right until you see that Hudson hit Arizona rolling and went 7-1 in the last two months of the season. Hudson is currently 8-5 in 2011 with a 3.56 ERA. Compared to Jackson, who is 4-6 with a 4.47 ERA, it seems like the Diamondbacks got the better of the swap.

What makes this deal a bit harder to swallow is that Chicago is paying Jackson nearly $8 million more than what Hudson is currently making. Hudson should be a reasonably priced starter for a few more seasons, while Jackson is likely pitching for his sixth team after he finishes the season with the White Sox.

Williams has dealt the bulk of Chicago's pitching prospects in recent seasons in order to collect a rotation with high-priced veterans like Peavy and Jackson. Only Mark Buehrle is a homegrown arm that was allowed to find a spot in the rotation.

The rest of the rotation is made up of John Danks and Gavin Floyd (costing him starting pitchers Brandon McCarthy and Freddy Garcia), Peavy (Aaron Poreda, Clayton Richard) and Jackson (Hudson).

Philip Humber was picked up off waivers and didn't cost us anything. He has also won as many games this season as Peavy and Jackson combined at a fraction of the cost.

In the case of Danks and Floyd, I'd say Williams did well. Richard is 2-8 with the Padres but was 14-9 a year ago and has been healthier, as well as cheaper, than Peavy. So far, Hudson has been better for his new club on the mound and easier on their budget.

Williams prefers established players over waiting out prospects, but those days may be changing. With the payroll at an all-time high on the South Side, it may be time to go with a younger, cheaper arm or two in the future.

As Daniel Hudson is showing us, that may not necessarily be a bad way to go.