I hate to write this article, but Chipper Jones will be 40 years old during the first month of the 2012 season. That means it’s time to take a look at five guys the Atlanta Braves could bring in to replace one of their all-time great players, a player with a World Series ring, MVP Award and batting title.
Chipper has said he will return for 2012, and has a $7 million club option for 2013 that would become automatic if he plays 123 games in 2012. Since the Braves have limited options right now, there’s a good chance he reaches that number of games if he can stay fairly healthy.
It’s also worth noting that he is still 385 hits away from 3,000 after picking up 125 in 2011, so there’s a chance he tries to stick it out through 2014 to reach the magic number of 3,000. Since it’s unknown how much he would have in the tank at that point in his career, I’m looking at guys that would replace him following the 2012 or 2013 seasons.