Posts tagged AndruwJones at FanHouse

Andruw Jones' demise has (ironically, I suppose) already been covered this morning by the nearly irreplaceable Matt Snyder. As we all know, Druw is a tad chubby, has essentially been benched for life and the Los Angeles Dodgers don't want him on the team. Now, apparently, neither does a Dominican winter ball team.

Dios. Mio.

The usually accurate Raul Tavares sends me the following missive via e-mail (spelling and punctuation is all original):

Hi rob, happy new year, just a few lines to let you know that andruw jones left his team for good, and is not coming back, the reason is that his wife is sick, but the real reason for me is that the team asked him to leave.

He was struggling here, only a .148 ave, slow in defense, the team was desperate and they did not release him just because furcal recomended him and did not want to upset rafael, jones replacement hit a 3 run hr and aguilas won just the second game of the semi finals.

Or, perhaps, "que lastima" would be more appropriate. IF this report is true, then, well, things are much, much, muchmuchmuch worse than Snyder, myself or anyone could have possibly realized.

See, because if it is, Druw isn't just horrible enough to get cut ... he's getting pity parties from a Dominican because Rafael Furcal gave him a good recommendation. It's not getting any prettier any sooner, folks.

From the Windup is FanHouse's extended look at a particular portion of America's pastime.

When Andruw Jones was 29 years old, he was firmly on his way to Cooperstown and had a shot at becoming one of the most statistically decorated center fielders in the history of baseball. Today, just two seasons later, he might be on his way out of baseball. Think about that for a second. He was in the middle of his prime and was definitely one of the better players in the league. Less than two years later, he's become a colossal failure for the Dodgers and no one else even wants him on their team.

The Ascent

The kid came on the scene late in 1996 as a bright-eyed 19-year-old, and boy did he leave a lasting impression. He hit five home runs in just over 100 at-bats, and knocked three out of the park in the postseason. In the process, he became the youngest player to hit a World Series home run. Ever. He broke Mickey Mantle's record. All told, he hit .400 with a 1.250 OPS in the World Series. Again, he was only 19 years old.

Towards the end of the week, the Dodgers announced that they'd be restructuring Andruw Jones' contract. The goal is to find a trade partner and since teams are already worried about his expanded waistline and his declining skills (in 2008 he had one of the worst offensive seasons by a non-pitcher that I can ever remember), the Dodgers wanted to try and relieve some of his huge contract and hope someone would take a risk on him.

At this point, even that's not looking good. There was some thought that the Reds, who are still talking to Jerry Hairston Jr. and Rocco Baldelli in an attempt to find a right-handed outfield bat, would be a good fit, but John Fay at the Cincinnati Enquirer doesn't think the Reds would want him, even if he were a free agent willing to play for the league minimum.

So is Buster Olney right? Is Jones' career over? I was going to argue that Olney's jumping the gun a bit, but after thinking about it some I'm not so sure he is. Remember, Jones was one of the last of the marquee free agents to sign last year after his terrible contract year in 2007 and there were some whispers he was fading fast even then. He responded by putting on a ton of weight and putting up a ridiculously bad OPS+ of 34. He's too out of shape to play center like he used to and he can't hit at all. Who's going to possibly want this guy?

Olney link via MLB Trade Rumors

After a potential trade to the Mets fell through last week, Andruw Jones agreed to re-work the final year of his contract, apparently in an effort to grease the wheels for his eventual departure from the Dodgers.

Jones was originally set to earn $21.1 million this year after signing a slightly backloaded two-year, $36.2 million deal last winter, but he's agreed to defer at least $12 million, giving the Dodgers room in this year's budgets to go after a high-profile free agent.

With Jones counting for only $9.1 million or so on this year's books, it should be easier for the Dodgers to find a trade partner to take Jones off their hands, or at the very least, make the option of simply buying him out more palatable. What will the Dodgers do with their extra cash? They're still in the race for Adam Dunn, and it's not out of the question that they get back into consideration for Manny Ramirez.

After famously making a two-year, $45 million deal to Ramirez earlier this winter, the Dodgers allegedly made a less publicized three-year, $60 million offer that was similarly ignored. If they sweeten that offer -- maybe adding a team option/buyout in Year 4 -- they might be able to swoop in and steal Ramirez from their upstate rivals in San Francisco. Stay tuned.

It seems yesterday's "Andruw Jones to the Mets!" rumor died as quickly as it was born. The Mets and Dodgers did in fact talk about bringing the overpaid and overweight center fielder back to the NL East, but talks fizzled once the Dodgers balked at taking back a bad contract in return.

According to Marty Noble of MLB.com, the Mets were hoping the Dodgers would take Luis Castillo, who has three years and $18 million left on a four-year deal he signed last winter. Considering Jones is still owed roughly half of the $36.2 million contract he signed last winter, it seems like an even deal, right?

Perhaps, but if the Dodgers are going to be tying up that much salary, they may as well get it over and done with in one year, especially with Rafael Furcal and Blake DeWitt occupying the middle infield for the foreseeable future.

As a Met fan, I am having a hard time imagining Andruw Jones, and that perpetual smirk of his, wearing orange and blue. But apparently it's a real possibility, as the Mets are rumored to be interested in acquiring Jones from the Dodgers in return for some sort of prospect and compensation for the bulk of his $18 million salary in 2009.

Jones was widely regarded as a Met-killer during his years with the Braves, though statistically he doesn't really come close to being the Met-killer that guys like Pat Burrell or Chipper Jones have been. Still, the thought of Jones in a Mets uniform just seems very odd. Jones in a corner outfield spot would be extremely odd, especially considering the last time the Mets put a center fielder in right, Mike Cameron, he was too fast for his own good and crashed faces with Carlos Beltran. That's the risk you take when you put a center fielder in a corner spot.

From the Windup is FanHouse's extended look at a particular portion of America's pastime.

Season's Greetings. Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

As baseball fans across the country gather to celebrate the holiday season with their loved ones, we here at MLB FanHouse have come up with a present we'd like to give to fans of every team -- even the ones who root for the Yankees, it turns out you folks don't have quite everything just yet.

On a day like Christmas, baseball season can seem an awfully long way off, especially here in the Northeast, where the snow banks are piled four and five feet high. In reality, pitchers and catchers can report to Spring Training in a mere 52 days.

Enjoy the hypothetical gifts for now; it won't be very long before we can all unwrap a very tangible one -- a brand spanking new baseball season.

It's Game 7 of the NBA Finals at the Staples Center. The Lakers have all the momentum after winning Games 5 and 6 against Boston to tie up the series. But as the players are lining up for the National Anthem, something is wrong -- where's Kobe Bryant?

He's bound and gagged in your beach house because you, in a desperate attempt to get the Dodgers to trade you, kidnapped him to sabotage the Lakers' chances. Sure enough, the Celtics win Game 7 on the road to complete their back-to-back title run, at which point you announce to the press that Bryant is locked in your house, safe and sound, but away from the game because you kidnapped him.

The entire Lakers-crazed city of Los Angeles is furious at you, as fans are turning over cars and setting fire to Dodger Stadium. Ned Colletti releases a statement after the game:

"This is not the kind of athlete we want representing our city."

Yes! You're gone! You get to go to another contender to ride them on your back to the World Series!

The next day it's announced that you've been traded -- to the Cincinnati Reds for Johnny Cueto and a ton of prospects. The Dodgers agree to pay the rest of your salary so that the Reds would agree to take you, keeping you away from a contender. Your new team is 30 games behind the division lead.

That October, you are watching the Dodgers in the World Series. Casey Blake is at bat with the bases loaded, down by three, against Jonathan Papelbon. Blake whiffs against your former teammate and the Dodgers lose the Series. You're a bit sullen as you think to yourself, "Man, I would have hit a grand slam."

In the spring of 2009, you've become resigned to your fate as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, and you open a Skyline Chili franchise with your new teammate, Andruw Jones.

THE END.

(Not sure how you got here? Start Choose Your Own Adventure: Manny Being Choosey in Free Agency from the beginning.)

Adios ... Amigos.

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2009.

The funny thing about the Dodgers is that it's really, really easy to forget that before Manny Ramirez rode in on his dreadlocked donkey like a free-swinging Don Quixote, well, they were basically just your run of the mill mediocre baseball team.

Ned Colletti was, justifiably, on the hot seat, Andruw Jones and Juan Pierre were gathering larddustballs on the bench, and despite some pretty good pitching, there wasn't enough offense to limp the team towards a .500 National League West-winning record and OMG JOE TORRE FAIL.

But Manny did show up, and he did play the role of hero. The Dodgers streaked into the playoffs, the fans started flocking back to Chavez Ravine in their imitation 'locks and then Los Angeles shocked the world by sweeping the Cubs in the NLDS. Nowhere to go up but, right? Um, actually, no.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are interested in bringing Manny Ramirez back to the city of angels. And why shouldn't they be? Manny's arrival (for free!) from the Red Sox sparked the Dodgers lineup, propelled them into the playoffs, and even convinced a bunch of idiots to pick them to win it all. Sigh.

So now the Fighting Collettis want to sign him to a deal. He is, after all, an expensive, veteran outfielder, so expecting Ned not to fall all over himself would be asking too much at this point. And they're willing to pay him whatever money he wants to make ... but there's a catch.

That would be the whole "length of contract" thing.

One person who's spoken to Dodgers people suggested that the team is considering proposing a contract that may come close to matching Alex Rodriguez's record $27.5-million average annual salary but on a much shorter term, perhaps only two years. That person hinted he could see the Dodgers even exceeding A-Rod's salary, as long as the length of the deal was to their liking.

Dodgers GM Ned Colletti said he didn't want to say too much about their thinking until after the team had a chance to meet with Ramirez's agent, Scott Boras. But Collettti did say, "We don't have too many six-year deals,'' a reference to Ramirez's own public proclamations that he is shooting for a six-year deal. The Dodgers actually have no six-year deals; but they don't have any other players like Ramirez, either.

That's nice and all, Ned, but it also doesn't change the fact that Man-Ram just went off for a torrid stretch of baseball to close out a contract year, proving to everyone that he is still very much a dangerous hitter. And that he wants to get paid.