artie_fufkin wrote:

"Don't you think that the signing of Ellis suggests a possibility, if not a likelihood of a platoon at second base?"

I think it's more likely they don't want to be in a position where they'll have to trade one of their prospects for a second baseman in July in case Wong shits the bed.
Reading TK's post, it seems Jackson would have been just as good a fit as Kozma or Descalso. It's no doubt a dead issue at this point because Jackson is no longer with the organization, but some day I'd like to see some enterprising journalist dig into why he fell out of favor. He's supposed to be a better defensive shortstop than Kozma, and its hard to imagine he would have been worse offensively. Twenty-five plate appearances in two years under Matheny is hardly a tryout. There had to be some sort of issue that kept him languishing on the bench or in Memphis while Koz was fighting to stay above the Mendoza line during the second half of the season.

I read a message board that contains a rabid "U" fan (where Jackson went to college). According to this guy, Jackson was heavily despised by his teammates, a real grade-A jackass. I don't know that this is true, but there was something really, really odd about the whole situation.