The latest name spinning on the pinstripe rumor mill is five-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner Andruw Jones.
Don’t get excited just yet Yankee fans, as Jones is far cry from the star he once was as an Atlanta Brave.
Currently, Jones is a 33-year-old, washed-up center-fielder who sat atop the most elite of hitters list from 1997-2007.
Since leaving Atlanta at the end of the 2007 season, Jones signed a two-year, $36.2 million dollar contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After batting .158 with three home runs, 14 RBI and 72 strikeouts in 209 at-bats, Jones was released after his first season. Jones only played in 75 games, as he had season-ending knee surgery.
The Rangers signed Jones to a minor-league deal in 2009, where he hit 17 home runs and 43 RBI in 82 games and finished with a .214 batting average.
Next up, the Chicago White Sox took a chance, as Jones posted a .230 batting average, with 19 home runs and 48 RBI in 107 games.
I think the scariest stat is that in Jones’ last three seasons, he has struck out 221 times in his 768 at-bats. That translates into a strikeout every fourth time Jones records an official at-bat.
This is another desperate stretch by GM Brian Cashman to add a cheap player who could be motivated back to greatness on the Yankees.
Jones is still at an age where he could be darn good, as he is younger than both Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and numerous other players who are still thriving.
This means it’s attitude, not skill, that tripped up Jones, and that is much worse because he didn’t care to work anymore.
Look, it is never a good sign when a team pays a player to leave, especially one with Jones’ unspoiled history of 10 years with 25+ home runs.
Cashman keeps telling Yankee fans to be “patient,” but this is just another stupid attempt with minimal hopes to save his own ass.
Now, the New York Yankees have successfully been tied to every known name free agent in this whirlwind of a failed offseason.
What boggles my mind is why the Yankees have not signed the league’s best closer from 2010, Rafael Soriano, yet.
If Cashman claims he won’t give up the draft pick for Soriano, I guess the Yankee motto of “winning now” is no longer the theme.
Well, might as well lose another big-time arm because of the cost, but if Cashman thinks Jones or Colon will turn to gold, he needs to get his head checked.
The Yankees have the money, so what the hell is the problem? Not getting a free agent for fear of losing a draft pick surely doesn’t sound like the Cashman I have known. Must be Hal and Hank making a business decision again without thinking.
All I can say to Brian Cashman and company is this: We Yankee fans still want to win in 2011, so why don’t you?
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