Former A's, Blue Jays Reliever Has Announced His Retirement

Recently, former A's right-hander Zach Jackson announced his retirement on Instagram.

May 6, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Zach Jackson (61) pitches during the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

According to Zach Jackson's Instagram, he has announced his retirement from baseball. Jackson pitched for the A's in two seasons from 2022-2023.

Zach Jackson announced his retirement on IG pic.twitter.com/jJL63qrVLA

— Jason Burke (@ByJasonB) January 16, 2025

The Toronto Blue Jays originally drafted Jackson in the third round of the 2016 MLB Draft. Jackson spent time in the Jays' organization from 2016-2019.

In 2020, the A's selected him in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft. This turned out to be a really good pick. During the 2021 season, Jackson split time between Double-A Midland and Triple-A Las Vegas, though he missed the last two months of the season due to injury.

Back healthy in 2022, Jackson pitched 48 innings out of the bullpen for the A's and posted a 3.00 ERA. Jackson looked like a promising arm for the back end of the A's bullpen for the future, but injuries ultimately limited how far his career would go.

In the 2023 season, Jackson only appeared in 19 games for the green and gold due to a flexor strain. Although when he was healthy, he posted an impressive 2.50 ERA for an Oakland team that went just 50-112.

After being unable to make the roster in 2024, he started the season in the minors, where he struggled with the Las Vegas Aviators, holding a 7.08 ERA in 34 innings. This led to him getting demoted down to the Midland RockHounds in early June, and in 2 1/3 innings, Jackson held an 11.57 ERA.

He was transferred to the development list in the middle of June, and would work his way back to Triple-A about a month later. He struggled in August, posting a 5.63 ERA across eight innings, totaling 11 walks and 15 strikeouts, but in September, in seven innings, he didn't allow an earned run to cross the plate and he allowed just two hits.

The A's had designated Jackson for assignment in April, so he spent basically the entirety of the 2024 campaign not on the team's 40-man roster.

Now the 30-year-old Jackson will be moving on to a new chapter of his life.

His retirement announcement reads: "It’s officially time for me to hang up the cleats. The thing that has been the center-point of my entire adult life is finally over. I’ve been so blessed to play a kid’s game as my job for this long.

"I think sometimes in life, God sends you signals and pulls you in directions that might not make sense at the time, but inevitably will in the long run. I’ll miss so much about the game and the relationships it’s brought me, but I know it’s time to move on. I’m excited about this next chapter in life and can’t wait to get started."

A number of former teammates offered their conratulations on a great career, including former A's first baseman Ryan Noda.