The Pirates have traded Indianapolis pitcher Jay Jackson to the Brewers for cash considerations. Jackson's numbers so far this year haven't jumped off the page, with a 4.89 ERA in 84.2 innings in a swingman role, but he's still at least a somewhat interesting arm -- he's struck out a batter an inning this season, and he's only 26. Also, Tony Sanchez said two weeks ago that he was impressed with Jackson's fastball and slider and thought he might end up being a good reliever. If the Pirates really agreed with that assessment, then there's no way they'd trade him to a division rival in the middle of a pennant race, but he might still bear watching.

The Pirates signed Jackson last offseason as a minor league free agent. Previously, he'd been in the Cubs and Marlins farm systems, getting to Triple-A as a 21-year-old but struggling to make headway after that. He's never pitched in the big leagues.