PHOENIX -- The Arizona Diamondbacks traded away an All-Star pitcher for the second time in a week on Friday, sending right-hander Edwin Jackson to the Chicago White Sox for rookie Dan Hudson and prospect David Holmberg.
Arizona traded three-time All-Star Dan Haren to Anaheim for lefthander Joe Saunders and three other players last week. The 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.
Jackson was 6-10 with a 5.16 ERA in 21 starts for the Diamondbacks this year coming off an All-Star season in which he won 13 games and had an ERA under 4.00 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 over four walks per nine innings, well above the league average.
The White Sox also recalled right-hander Lucas Harrell from Triple-A Charlotte, and he will start Friday in his major league debut in place of Hudson. Harrell is 9-9 with a 4.24 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 22 starts with Charlotte this season.
The move make the Diamondbacks younger and allows them to cut the nearly $9 million in salary due Jackson this season.
Hudson, a 23-year-old righthander has been one of Chicago's top prospects since being drafted by the White Sox in the fifth round of the 2008 draft, going 30-13 with a 2.90 ERA in 57 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 season, 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.
Holmberg, a 19-year-old lefthander, was a second-round pick by the White Sox last year and has spent the past two seasons in the lower levels of the White Sox's organization, going 3-3 with a 4.02 ERA in 21 games, including 14 starts.
"We're trying to create as much flexibility and change the structure of the way our team is built, take more of a look toward developing into the future while creating enough flexibility to shift pieces around so as we go into the offseason we can address some of the holes we have," Dipoto said. "We're a last-place team and have been for two years, and this is an opportunity for us to address our short- and long-term goals, which is to put a quality major-league club on the field."
