Andruw Jones to Dodgers: A Done Deal, Pending Physical
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A few days ago, I was reluctant to blog about the preliminary deal between centerfielder Andruw Young and the L.A Dodgers because, that’s what it was; preliminary. In fact, although the Dodgers’ roster now shows as the addition of Jones, the deal is only finalized pending the results of Jones’ physical early next week. The official announcement of the signing, probably the news conference and all of the photo ops with Jones in a Dodger blue and white should come soon after.
With Jones, the Dodgers get a badly needed big bat in the middle of their lineup. Yahoo sports’ Steve Henson qualifies Jones’ lineup position;
Provided Jones’ skills aren’t prematurely declining and he rebounds to his pre-2007 form. The 30-year-old right-handed hitter had 368 home runs and 1,117 RBIs in 12 seasons with the Atlanta Braves, including 51 home runs in 2005.
But last season he slipped to .222 with 26 home runs, a protracted slump that undoubtedly cost him untold millions of dollars and the long-term contract he initially sought. It became clear in recent days that no team was willing to commit to more than three years, and a source close to Jones said he chose the Dodgers because he wanted to remain in the National League, wanted to play for a contender and would be re-united with his close friend Rafael Furcal, the Dodgers shortstop who also began his career with the Braves.
If Jones returns to his earlier form, he brings power to a Dodger lineup which includes 2nd year 1st baseman James Loney, veteran 2nd baseman Jeff Kent, 3rd baseman Nomar Garciaparra and young outfielders Andre Ethier and torrid hitting Matt Kemp.
As with many teams, the Dodgers need to make deals to shore up their starting pitching in order to contend in the NL West. Beyond Chad Billingsley and Brad Penny, Dodger starters were a disappointment in 2007. Derek Lowe didn’t have the type of season in 2007 that he is capable of and Jason Schmidt saw only limited action before going down with a season-ending injury. His ERA exploded to 6.31 in 2007.
Yahoo’s Henson spells out the terms of the deal with Jones;
Jones will get a $12.2 million signing bonus, of which $5 million isn’t payable until 2010, according to a source close to the negotiations. He will be paid $5.1 million of the bonus in 2008 and $2.1 million in 2009. His salaries will be $9 million next year and $15 million in 2009, and the contract includes a no-trade clause.
Although the contract is less than Jones anticipated when the offseason began, his average annual salary of $18.1 million is the highest ever for a Dodgers player and the fifth-highest in baseball history behind Alex Rodriguez’s last two contracts…
The signing leaves Aaron Rowand as the only premier center fielder remaining on the free-agent market.
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