Baseball Musings: Jones for the Cubs

December 20, 2005

Jones for the Cubs

Jacque Jones signed with the Cubs today. The Cub Reporter sums up his feelings consicely:

And with that I’m off to bed to dream of just how I’ll celebrate in September 2008 when this deal expires.

In six years, Jones had one outstanding season, 2002. Then again, the Cubs aren't paying through the nose at a little of $5 million a year. Maybe they wanted Corey Patterson with consistency.

Posted by David Pinto at 09:28 PM | Free Agents | TrackBack (0)

Comments

$5M/yr for a platoon player? Seems like an awful lot.

Posted by: sabernar at December 20, 2005 09:37 PM

Whew! The Cardinals were reportedly after him, and I was worried about it.

For $1-2 million he'd be okay. But 3 years, 16 million? Yikes.

Still, he is better than Patterson.

Posted by: JeremyR at December 20, 2005 09:50 PM

Patterson was pretty consistent at striking out already.

Posted by: Mike at December 20, 2005 10:37 PM

In an article about the trade, Hendry says this about Corey Patterson's status...

"I'm sure that once people see that he's being tendered a contract ... I think that we'll see an increase in interest for Corey"

um...whatever he's smoking, somebody get me a bag.

Posted by: Gazzoo at December 20, 2005 10:52 PM

They basically signed a faster burnitz for like twice as much money as the old one. They have similar HR, AVG, K and BB, and the exact same OPS as eachother. Why would they do that?

Posted by: AJ at December 20, 2005 11:47 PM

Actually, Burnitz would have been owed $7M had the Cubs picked up his option. Jones is still cheaper, younger, and faster but the only thing I think he brings to the Cubs is a better option in right than Patterson, though not by much. The problem is Baker wants to win games with home runs and not with speed.

Posted by: Mike at December 21, 2005 12:24 AM

"The problem is Baker wants to win games with home runs and not with speed."

i heard that juan pierre guy is kinda fast

Posted by: tony flynn at December 21, 2005 03:47 AM

I think the team is trying to get another outfielder who can protect Aramis Ramirez and Derick Lee, without giving up the speed. People need to remember that Pierre, Lee and Jones are capable of swipping a few bases. Likewise, I must disagree that Jones' only good season was 2001. People have in their minds that consistency of any sort is bad. People in Pittsburgh have bashed the Pirates in acquiring Casey, who is consistently a .300 hitter (ala John Olerud). Now, people are bashing the Cubs in acquiring Jones, though not the best of averages, is a good fielding Right Fielder with Right Fielder pop and Center Fielder Speed. When I ranked players, I actually placed Jones in the top ten Free Agents. He will be worth the money.

Posted by: Bob at December 21, 2005 08:33 AM

re: jacques jones

actually, jacques jones is an excellent acquisition for the Cubs.

(1) his defensive win shares are good, he has a lot of speed, and he bats from the left side

(2) he has some pop in his bat, and his home win shares and secondary average should improve in Wrigley

(3) he does walk, though not as much as you would like

(4) he's far more fleet than the slow footed power hitters they've been putting out there the past few years

(5) with Juan Pierre, he can bat 2d against RH and form a potent leadoff combination or bat 3d, and give the team a running game and a power game

(6) the runnning and defensive game he brings gives the Cubs ways to win on the road when they're not bashing homers; same with Pierre.

On balance, I like the moves with Jones & Pierre. It ends a reigns of Sammy Sosa like indifference to winning only with 3R HRs and good pitching.

The key here is whether Jones maintains a high OBA, of course.

--arthur john kyriazis, philly

Posted by: arthur john kyriazis at December 21, 2005 09:10 AM

"i heard that juan pierre guy is kinda fast"

Amazingly fast, yes. 57 stolen bases I believe. To win at Wrigley, you need guys who can stretch a single into a double and a double into a triple, not guys swinging for the fences. Wrigley being a hitters park because of the wind is a myth. I watched more balls get knocked down at the warning track last year than I saw wind assisted homers. I just don't think Baker really knows how to work guys around the bases.

Posted by: Mike at December 21, 2005 11:29 AM

Who is going to play right field when there is a lefty pitching?

Posted by: Matt W at December 21, 2005 11:56 AM

Jock will, but he'll be hitting 9th behind Zambrano.

Posted by: Mike at December 21, 2005 12:48 PM

"The key here is whether Jones maintains a high OBA, of course."

Don't you need to have posted a high OBA at some point in order to maintain it?

What a terrible, terrible signing. 3 years?!!?

Posted by: Scotty Mac at December 21, 2005 12:57 PM

could zambrano platoon with joque? seriously though, i have a bad feeling when people start to use defensive abilities to justify the signing of a corner outfielder.

Posted by: Matt W at December 21, 2005 01:05 PM

Hendry and Dusty are absolutely lost; the method of evaluating players has completely passed them by. They actually value power less than speed and fielding at this point, because they apparently want to emulate the White Sox. And no guys "clogging the bases" with walks, please!

This is evidenced by the fact that they had no interest in Brian Giles in RF (apparently at any cost) and that Dusty has already relegated Todd Walker behind Neifi Perez at 2B. (With the promising Ronny Cedeno penciled in at SS, though we'll be certain to see more Neifi than Cedeno there if Dusty has anything to say about it.)

The Cubs are doomed. For years, the Tribune would not spend money. Now that they're being given money to spend, they don't know how.

Posted by: ddc at December 21, 2005 01:13 PM

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