Dodgers sign Andruw Jones 2/$36M

[Elvis]

Dodgers, Jones reach an agreement

Deal calls for two years and $36 million, per a baseball official

By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Dodgers landed the bat they've been seeking, reaching agreement on Wednesday night with free-agent outfielder Andruw Jones on a two-year, $36 million contract, according to a baseball official. The deal is contingent on Jones passing a physical exam.

Jones, a 10-time Gold Glove winner and five-time All Star, will take over center field, with Juan Pierre likely moving to left.

The negotiations, which appeared to be moving at a snail's pace over the first three days of the Winter Meetings, reached a rapid conclusion on Wednesday night. The short-term deal will allow Jones to rehabilitate his stats in time for another bite at the free-agent apple while still in his prime.

The market for Jones had been underwhelming in the wake of the worst season of his career -- .222 average, 26 homers, 94 RBIs. He also had interest from the Kansas City Royals.

Jones' former Braves teammates, however, indicated that he preferred to stay in the National League and was getting antsy for a resolution. Another former Atlanta teammate, Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal, placed more than one recruiting phone call to Jones, understandable because they were the closest of friends when they played together.

Jones, 30, is the big bat Colletti has been seeking since taking over two years ago, especially if his 2007 performance is an aberration compared with the previous two seasons, when he slugged 92 homers with 257 RBIs. The Dodgers made a run at acquiring Jones a year ago, but Jones would not waive a no-trade clause.

What happened to Jones in 2007? Trying to play with a secretly hyper-extended elbow didn't help, but such decisions are commonplace with free agency looming.

The next free-agent alternative for the Dodgers, Aaron Rowand, remains less than viable, as he continues to seek a five-year contract. In addition, there is some concern that Rowand, also 30, won't be the same offensive force outside Philadelphia's cozy Citizens Bank Park.

Colletti reported that he still had not received word whether Japanese free-agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda would come to the U.S. next week or visit Los Angeles. The Dodgers are competing with Seattle, Arizona and Kansas City (among others) for the services of the 32-year-old right-hander, who is believed to have received a four-year offer from the Mariners.

Colletti said that Kuroda "is just starting to be in the negotiating stage. I believe it's been a very methodical process to date. I assume many teams are involved."

The Dodgers, similar to many teams, need to acquire substantial free-agent players such as Jones and Kuroda first, providing the depth from which to deal. From a timing standpoint, the Dodgers are likely to wait on a Kuroda decision before pulling the trigger on a deal for a pitcher such as Baltimore's Erik Bedard or Oakland's Dan Haren, which would cost multiple young players.

Colletti indicated that no third-base acquisition appeared imminent, even with the apparent availability of Detroit's Brandon Inge after the Miguel Cabrera trade. Free agent Tadahito Iguchi is willing to move from second base to third if the Dodgers want him.

Colletti also said that he will not spend significant salary on veteran relievers, because the Dodgers have as many as a half-dozen young pitchers who could pitch in the Major Leagues next year -- Clayton Kershaw, John Meloan, James McDonald, Scott Elbert, Ramon Troncoso and Greg Miller.

Colletti said that the club would exercise some caution with Kershaw, who is only 20 and who is considered the top pitching prospect in the organization. But he was not worried about rushing him.

"Because of his blend of ability and makeup, his birthdate is not as much of a concern," he said.

Meloan, the only one who has pitched even briefly in the Majors, will be happy to hear that Colletti is considering changing the right-hander back into a starting pitcher. Meloan was drafted in 2005 as a starter and has expressed a desire to return to that role.

[UnderPressure]

Can we get a miracle Pierre trade? I don't want to trade Kemp.

[Metropolitan]

Only for two years!?

THe dodgers should have done a better job to lock him up for more then that! Atleast 3 in my opinion!

[Elvis]

Can we get a miracle Pierre trade? I don't want to trade Kemp.

If Kemp gets traded I'm going to be upset. Trade Ethier or better, Pierre.

How does this lineup sound?

Pierre LF
Furcal SS
Loney 1B
Jones CF
Kemp RF
Kent 2B
Martin C
Laroche/Nomar 3B

[Ubiquitous]

Funny, the Angels sign Gary Mathews Jr to a big contract and then go and get Hunter. The Dodgers sign Pierre to a big contract and then go and get Andruw Jones.

[SamtheBravesFan]

Only for two years!?

THe dodgers should have done a better job to lock him up for more then that! Atleast 3 in my opinion!

Dude, Andruw has got 11 years of beating himself up on the turf in order to catch baseballs. How the man kept doing it without getting seriously injured, I don't know, but I don't think you're going to like what you see by Year Two of this. The guy has coasted on his talent for years and he isn't even the same guy he was two years ago.

He's not going to be 2007 bad, but he's not going to be 2006 good either.

[Elvis]

Dude, Andruw has got 11 years of beating himself up on the turf in order to catch baseballs. How the man kept doing it without getting seriously injured, I don't know, but I don't think you're going to like what you see by Year Two of this. The guy has coasted on his talent for years and he isn't even the same guy he was two years ago.

Heck, even with his off year last season, he still would've led the Dodgers in HR and RBI by a mile. If he can hit .265, 30 HR and 100 RBI and play a good CF, that will a huge upgrade to the status quo. And only 2 years? SOLD to the Irishman for $36 million!

[Metropolitan]

Dude, Andruw has got 11 years of beating himself up on the turf in order to catch baseballs. How the man kept doing it without getting seriously injured, I don't know, but I don't think you're going to like what you see by Year Two of this. The guy has coasted on his talent for years and he isn't even the same guy he was two years ago.

He's not going to be 2007 bad, but he's not going to be 2006 good either.

I partially agree with you in that last season was terrible for him but he still continued to make great plays in the the outfield. He is too good of a player to not do well with the dodgers.

[SamtheBravesFan]

I partially agree with you in that last season was terrible for him but he still continued to make great plays in the the outfield. He is too good of a player to not do well with the dodgers.

I'm just warning you; he might not be as good as advertised.

[Zagi-CRO]

IMO And.Jones is among 3-the best Dodgers, after Martin and Kent.
But its not still enough for the WS competition.
Look at the Tigers lineup or Yankees, RedSox, Angels, Brewers...

[placount]

IMO And.Jones is among 3-the best Dodgers, after Martin and Kent.
But its not still enough for the WS competition.
Look at the Tigers lineup or Yankees, RedSox, Angels, Brewers...

is kent really any good anymore?

[philipthegreat]

Is Andruw Jones worth 18 million dollars per year?

Especially with his off-season I think not.

[Zagi-CRO]

is kent really any good anymore?

I think it's a solid numbers...AVG HR RBI H

Jeff Kent 0.302 20 79 78

[Zagi-CRO]

Is Andruw Jones worth 18 million dollars per year?

Especially with his off-season I think not.

The Dodgers believe he is.

[Zito75]

Is Andruw Jones worth 18 million dollars per year?

Especially with his off-season I think not.

It's the Barry Zito factor... I think we'll see Andruw's age and a couple other "factors" catch up with him this year...

[SamtheBravesFan]

The Dodgers believe he is.

Well, I don't think he is, and he was a Brave for 11 years.

[Elvis]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/12/06/bp.andruwjones/index.html

Best deal of the winter
Dodgers improve themselves greatly with Jones

By Joe Sheehan, BaseballProspectus.com

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- As another slow day at the winter meetings came to a close -- one signing, one trade -- the Los Angeles Dodgers made their best move in a very long time. Showing an appreciation of sunk costs and the value of short-term deals, the Dodgers signed center fielder Andruw Jones to a two-year, $36.2 million contract. The deal looks outlandish for its annual salary of $18 million, but the overall commitment makes it one of the great bargains in recent memory.

The signing was a surprise on many levels. For one, the Dodgers have made some terrible decisions over the past two years since Ned Colletti was named general manager. Colletti threw away more than $100 million last winter on free agents who combined to block better players and push the Dodgers away from contention. He's also shown a willingness to deal away the team's young talent for little return, and if trades of Joel Guzman, Edwin Jackson, and Dioner Navarro haven't quite burned them, the returns for those players have done nothing to help the Dodgers win, either.

Consider also that the Dodgers have an expensive albatross in Juan Pierre, the good-guy, bad-player combination to whom they owe $36 million over the next four seasons. Pierre was already an inadequate center fielder, and he'll be even worse, relative to par, in left field, where he may block a better player in Andre Ethier. That's a problem for another day; Jones is a three- to five-win upgrade on Pierre in each of the next two seasons. Consider that Jones' WARP (Wins Above Replacement Player) in 2007, the worst year of his career, was 4.6. Pierre's WARP in 2006 and 2007 combined was 4.3. Jones' career-low EqA of .251 was within shouting distance of Pierre's career EqA of .256. He's simply a much, much better player than Pierre is, and we haven't compared their arms yet.

Jones had some difficulty getting traction in a market loaded with center fielders. He's coming off the worst season of his life, a .222/.311/.413 nightmare, and taking criticism for defense that is actually still above average, just not at the level he played when he was younger. When you look a bit more closely at Jones' season, though, you find that many of his indicators were stable. His walk and strikeout rates were slightly worse, but within the bounds of fluctuation. In total, 2007 was a typical Andruw Jones season less 15 homers, five singles, and some intentional walks. His fly-ball rate was unchanged, it's just that the balls didn't go as far. Given Jones' age and the stability of so many elements to his performance, I'm certain that he's going to bounce back to his established level, which in a neutral park would look like .265/.330/.500, with plus defense in center. He's the player people suddenly think Torii Hunter is. [Ed. note: Nate Silver adds that a PECOTA for Jones as a Dodger yields up .258/.345/.488 with 29 home runs and a 28.5 VORP. Tasty.]

I'm stunned by the length of the deal. Scott Boras was quoted as saying he didn't want Jones to have to play on a one-year deal, given that he'd just come off that type of season. A two-year deal, however, seems like the worst of both worlds: you're not getting the maximum aggregate amount of money, nor are you hitting the market as quickly as possible, as young as possible, after bouncing back. There's enough difference between ages 32 and 33 that I would think Boras would have wanted to have Jones be a free agent again next year. To his credit, Boras appears to have taken more into account than just dollars. Let's see who notices.

One year or two, this is a fantastic deal for the Dodgers, who get back-end-of-peak years from a Hall of Fame player without committing to his decline phase. Jones will bounce back in 2008, and he'll be a seven-win player over the two years of the deal. That's an enormous addition for a team that has been shooting itself in the foot for two long. What it means for Ethier or Matt Kemp is something that can be hashed out, but again, the player in the way isn't Jones, it's Pierre, who was a bad signing at the time, and remains so today. The Dodgers have an opportunity to show just how well they understand sunk costs by relegating Pierre to a fourth outfielder's role, to which he'd be reasonably suited. It would also give us a chance to test the whole "character" framework, to see if the fourth-best outfielder on the roster is able to accept that he, in fact, is that, and sublimate his desire to play more for the good of the team. That's leadership, right?

I love this contract. It will be far and away the smartest thing any team does this winter, and it pushes the Dodgers up a little bit closer to the Diamondbacks in the 2008 NL West race.

[TonyStarks]

Is Andruw Jones worth 18 million dollars per year?

Especially with his off-season I think not.

The ONLY good thing about this deal is....that it's only for 2 years.
But the money...is bananas!

[DodgerBlue8188]

Does anybody think he might not have done as well in Atlanta because he was just so tired of playing for them? I know this is probably inaccurate since he turned down the trade clause a couple years ago. Just wondering.

[mojorisin71]

I'd give this deal a B, simply because it's not the 5/$100M that Boras threw out last October. Question is, which teams are interested in Pierre at his price?

[Elvis]

I'd give this deal a B, simply because it's not the 5/$100M that Boras threw out last October. Question is, which teams are interested in Pierre at his price?

If Pierre can't be moved, I'd say package Ethier and a couple of 51's for a pitcher. I'd rather trade Pierre than Andre, but Pierre's basestealing is definitely an upside over Ethier--and I don't see Ethier any more than .280, 15 HR and 75 RBI. Good, but not irreplacable.

[DodgerBlue8188]

If Pierre can't be moved, I'd say package Ethier and a couple of 51's for a pitcher. I'd rather trade Pierre than Andre, but Pierre's basestealing is definitely an upside over Ethier--and I don't see Ethier any more than .280, 15 HR and 75 RBI. Good, but not irreplacable.


I hate to admit it but I agree about Ethier. Kemp is still promising because he is yet to have a full season. But Ethier has been around long enough now to really get an idea on what he is going to be like.

[Zagi-CRO]

It's the Barry Zito factor... I think we'll see Andruw's age and a couple other "factors" catch up with him this year...

:):) Zito factor!! A new term for disaster!

[west coast orange and black]

zito75: I think we'll see Andruw's age and a couple other "factors" catch up with him this year...

what are some of these "factors", zito75?

[SamtheBravesFan]

zito75: I think we'll see Andruw's age and a couple other "factors" catch up with him this year...

what are some of these "factors", zito75?

Well, I think one of them is that he is very beaten up and could be a huge injury risk quite soon. It doesn't help that he plays into shape during the season instead of doing it in the off-season.

[Zito75]

Well, I think one of them is that he is very beaten up and could be a huge injury risk quite soon. It doesn't help that he plays into shape during the season instead of doing it in the off-season.

I'll say "conditioning issues" and leave it at that.

[SamtheBravesFan]

I'll say "conditioning issues" and leave it at that.

I'll just say it for you then: he got fat. :rofl:

[cardsfanatic]

Another vastly overrated centerfielder gets vastly overpaid. Woohoo! The only good thing I can say about this deal is that it's short.

[Zito75]

I'll just say it for you then: he got fat. :rofl:

Well he did!!! :laugh

[SamtheBravesFan]

Well he did!!! :laugh

It will be interesting to see what will happen in the next two seasons with him.

[DodgerBlue81]

I don't think this a bad deal for us. Good thing it's only a 2 year deal. I think he'll bounce back and have a better year than last year. We desperately needed power and of course his awesome defense will help as well.