Is Andruw Jones done?
Posted: Monday, January 19, 2009 4:58 PM
FIVE SWINGS AFTER A QUIET BASEBALL WEEKEND:
1. THE DODGERS…officially parted ways with Andruw Jones at the end of last week. The move frees money for the team to spend on others (Manny Ramirez?) and it frees Jones to escape a situation where Dodgers fans would have buried him in boos.
The logical next step is to assume Atlanta would have interest in bringing Jones back to fill its hole in centerfield. Braves general manager Frank Wren says he wants to discuss it further "internally."
That talk should include an assessment of Jones' brief winter ball appearance in which his at-bats were reportedly so pathetic that it prompted the Dodgers to cut their cord with him.
Three seasons ago Jones had 41 home runs, 129 RBI and batted .262. In 2007 he hit 26 home runs, drove in 94 runs but his average dipped to .222. Knee injuries limited him to 75 games last season when he had just three home runs, 14 RBI and hit .158. How could this former All Star deteriorate so quickly at only 31 years old?
2. WE LEARNED SOMETHING ABOUT THE MANNY RAMIREZ AFFAIR...when new Giants managing partner Bill Neukom spoke late last week about his team's interest in Ramirez. The Scott Boras PR machine is working in the Bay Area and the media is heavily pushing the idea of a Giants-Ramirez marriage. And Giants fans, suffering through four straight losing seasons, are primarily in favor of adding Ramirez.
Neukom's statement is that the team is looking for a one-year deal with an option but the Giants are hearing (read: from Boras) about a four-year deal with an option. Neukom says the Giants aren't interested in a deal of that length.
Question: What team is interested in multiple years for Ramirez? So the Dodgers sit back and wait, knowing each passing day decreases the chance of any team bettering their 2-year, $45 million offer of earlier in the offseason. With Boras asking for four years with an option, Ramirez may be sitting for a while.
3. TUESDAY BRINGS ANOTHER BORAS ASSIGNMENT…filing Prince Fielder's arbitration request. It is expected to at least match Ryan Howard's 2008 award of $10 million. The Brewers were thought by many to likely move Fielder rather than endure arbitration. Losing CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets likely diminishes the team's chances to catch the Cubs but for now the Brewers are holding on to their slugger. Thought: will that change after Ramirez and the consolation prizes (Adam Dunn and Bobby Abreu) sign?
4. SOME VETERAN PLAYERS MAY REGRET…rejecting arbitration offers. Take this list: Jason Varitek, Jon Garland and Orlando Cabrera all passed on arbitration from their former teams. All made over $10 million last year, guaranteeing at least that amount for 2009. All gambled that multi-year free agent deals would still exist despite the economic downturn. All are losing that gamble as of this date.
5. STUMBLED INTO AN INTERESTING COLUMN…in the Atlanta Journal Constitution in which former Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone admits that leaving for Baltimore in 2006 was a mistake.
Mazzone went to work for boyhood friend Sam Perlozzo, no doubt enticed by a pay raise. Mazzone knew one week into his first spring training that he had erred. Now he sits unemployed, the luster off a remarkable run, 26 years in the Atlanta organization during which he worked with three Cy Young winners.
Sports does not differ from life in that it is so often difficult for people to appreciate what they have and not "covet their neighbor."
