Cubs deal former prospect Brett Jackson to Arizona

Late Thursday night, the Chicago Cubs traded once-highly touted prospect Brett Jackson to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for right-handed minor league reliever Blake Cooper.

Arizona claimed Jackson off waivers after Colorado, the only team with a higher waiver priority than the Diamondbacks, passed on him.

The outfielder, who was was seen by Cubs fans as the future of the franchise, has struggled mightily to make contact consistently. This season with Triple-A Iowa, the 26-year-old batted .210/.298/.348 in 81 games. His strikeout numbers were atrocious, totaling 94 punch outs in just 252 at-bats, accounting for just over 38 percent of his total at-bats.

According to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, Jackson will join the organization’s Triple-A affiliate in Reno. The former #32 overall prospect on Baseball America’s prospect list is hoping a chance of scenery will help him live up to his once sky-high potential. He seemed to solve the contact problem back in 2010-2011, but with time, it has reemerged worse than ever.

Cooper, a 5’11” right-hander, is less-highly regarded than Jackson, but has shown flashes of brilliance while in the Arizona farm system. With the team’s Double-A affiliate this season, the righty posted an impressive 1.85 ERA, averaging over eight strikeouts per nine. Since his promotion to Triple-A, his control has been less than savory, but as with Jackson, he will look to re-establish himself in new scenery.