Former San Francisco Giants Reliever Signs Deal With American League Contenders

A former San Francisco Giants pitcher has landed with a new team in the American League.

May 23, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Luke Jackson (77) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the seventh inning at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

A former San Francisco Giants pitcher has landed a with an American League team on a last minute free agent deal.

According to an announcement from the Texas Rangers, the 2023 World Series champions have signed former Giants right-handed pitcher Luke Jackson to a one-year Major League contract.

Jackson spent parts of two seasons with San Francisco after signing a lucrative two-year deal with the team prior to the 2023 season worth just over $11 million which had a club option for a third year.

With a very strong performance in the first season of the deal, the option being picked up seemed likely at the time. But Jackson was traded back to the Atlanta Braves in the midst of a rough 2024 campaign along with Jorge Soler in exchange for Tyler Matzek and Sabin Ceballos.

In 2023, Jackson had a 2.97 ERA in the 33 appearances he was able to make coming off an injury which forced him to miss the entire 2023 season, making it look as if the Giants got a serious bargain. But for whatever reason, he could not replicate the same success this past year with a 5.40 ERA in 36 appearances before the trade.

Jackson is best known for his 2021 season with the Braves, helping Atlanta win a World Series title with the best campaign of his career, posting a 1.98 ERA over 71 appearances.

Now, he will get another chance to get his career back on track.

Still just 33 years old, San Francisco fans will follow Jackson closely this season to see if the team made a mistake not keeping him around.