| Christopher Reina. 6th December, 2007 - 3:49 pm
 Scott Boras and Ned Colletti negotiated a two-year, $36.2 million deal for Andruw Jones that ultimately benefits everyone for these six reasons.
1. Jones? annual salary is on par with what he?d command on a six-year level had he not plummeted so catastrophically in 2007.
2. Jones is saved from the one-year contract embarrassment.
3. Jones will reenter the open market at a still relatively young age of 32.
4. The Dodgers are not handcuffed long term if Jones? 2007 doesn?t turn out to be the aberration most believe it to be.
5. The Dodgers are able to rent Jones for two prime seasons.
6. Most importantly, the Dodgers address their need for a power bat.
The last time Jones struggled as badly as he did in 2007 (.222/.311/.413) was all the way back in 2001 (.251/.312/.461). But he rebounded the following season by having one of his best two or three campaigns of his career (.264/.366/.513).
But as I wrote in my Dodgers? State of the Franchise article, their biggest problem on offense was power production, not in getting runners on base. They hit just 129 homeruns in 2007, 15th in the NL and had a slugging percentage of just .406, this was despite being second in the NL in batting (.275).
Jones will unquestionably improve this area of deficiency for the Dodgers, even if he bats .250. However, he will not recover and become a high .200?s or even a .300 hitter as he was in 2000, Joe Torre can?t expect that. But if he can hit 26 homeruns in such a dreadful year, his total will certainly be closer to his typical 35 or even in the low 40s.
Over the past 10 seasons, Jones has hit 363 homeruns, good for eighth in the entire MLB.
Unfortunately, his career numbers at Dodger Stadium are discouraging, as he has a .735 OPS in 155 plate appearances.
Defensively, Jones is still a legitimate Gold Glover and any sort of way you can move Juan Pierre to left field, even if I was playing in center to replace him, improves their defense.
This move also allows them to comfortably move Matt Kemp (a player I am extremely high on) in a package for a starting pitcher such as Dan Haren or Erik Bedard.
Colletti was livid last winter when J.D. Drew opted out of his contract and went to Boston, but this signing gives the Dodgers a far better ballclub than they would put on the field if Drew remained.
Drew would have blocked Andre Ethier in rightfield, so you would be looking at Ethier/Kemp in left, Pierre in center and Drew in right, instead of Pierre in left, Jones in center and Ethier/Kemp in right.
The Dodgers' opening day lineup likely will be as follows and is very formidable:
1. Rafael Furcal
2. Russell Martin
3. James Loney
4. Andruw Jones
5. Jeff Kent
6. Andre Ethier
7. Nomar Garciaparra
8. Juan Pierre
Grade for Dodgers: A- |
