The Blue Jays Are Committing Malpractice by Not Bringing up a Prospect to Replace Edwin Jackson

It's no secret that the Toronto Blue Jays are in a full-blown rebuild. The Jays currently sit in fourth place in the AL East with a 26-46 record, and a glance at their roster shows that they aren't exactly rolling out a super-team every day. Though Toronto may be bad, they do have young and talented pieces on the MLB squad like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. There certainly is value in that.

One roster spot, however, is currently inhabited by longtime veteran starter Edwin Jackson, who is in the midst of one of the worst seasons for a pitcher in recent memory.

Jackson's -0.9 fWAR ranks 474th of 476 qualified pitchers, and his 12.43 ERA ranks dead last.

Though Toronto's priority isn't exactly to win games here and now, the presence of Jackson on the roster at all is still highly questionable. In a season that is already all but lost, why not replace Jackson with a young pitcher in the minors? Evaluating the up-and-coming talent you have in the upper levels of the minor leagues with at least a cup of coffee at the big league level should be a priority for a team that really has nothing else to play for.

The Jays were willing to part ways with Josh Donaldson last season, a guy who won an MVP during his tenure in Toronto, and ultimately allowed a spot to be opened up for Vlad Guerrero Jr. Though the Blue Jays don't exactly have a phenom of Guerrero's caliber waiting in the wings to replace Jackson -- perhaps nobody does -- there is still value in getting the best possible sense of what's currently there.

Keeping Jackson on the MLB roster is illogical no matter how you spin it. He really is that bad. Even a player hovering below replacement level would constitute a serious upgrade.