October 02, 2007
New Home for Jones
The Braves said goodbye to Andruw Jones today, paving the way for him to become a free agent this winter:
Indeed, the move was not unexpected as the 30-year-old Jones batted only .222 in the final season of his $75 million contract. He's eligible to file for free agency after the World Series.
"It just doesn't work for us," Schuerholz said. "It doesn't demean or diminish everything he's done."
The Braves plan to use the money they'll save on Jones to bolster their starting rotation -- a glaring weakness beyond John Smoltz and Tim Hudson -- and to sign first baseman Mark Teixeira, who made $9 million this year and is eligible for arbitration.
I wonder how much Jones will make next year. There is some competition in centerfield as Torii Hunter also hits the free agent market along with Mike Cameron and Aaron Rowand. That's a pretty good supply of centerfielders, which might keep the price lower.
Of all those guys, it's hard to pick which one I'd want...Glad my team is all set at CF.
Considering what Pierre and Sarge Jr got, I don't think the prices will be all that low, but the contracts may be shorter duration. Those are some nice 5-year albatrosses you got there in LA(A).
Something tells me Coco Crisp will be available via trade, too.
Maybe it's good that the Dodgers are already overpaying for Juan Pierre, since otherwise we'd probably be overpaying for Andruw Jones next year.
Hard to see any team giving Jones a long-term, big-bucks contract after his subpar 2007. Of course, all Boras has to do is find one taker. But I'd think a more likely strategy is to sign a big one-year deal -- like Ivan Rodriguez did with the Tigers a few years ago -- in hopes of re-establishing his value for the next contract.