Sporting News Calls It: Andruw Jones Career Possibly Over

OK, so everyone likes to hate on Andruw Jones these days. We’re certainly no strangers to this activity here at dodgerfan.net, but The Sporting News had a great take on the contract restructuring and its implications to doing a deal prior to Spring Training:

Jones so wants out of Los Angeles that he agreed to restructure the final year of his contract. He came to understand that the Dodgers couldn’t trade him if he was still owed $22 million in 2009.

Now he’ll take $5 million in base pay in 2009 instead of $15 million and will get the rest of his money paid out at zero interest over 15 years.
If the Dodgers can’t trade him by the end of spring training, they’ve agreed to release him.

The Reds and Braves are among the teams believed to be interested in Jones, but they have zero incentive to make a deal. Even if they do not have to give up any significant players in a trade, they know they might be able get him for the major league minimum of $400,000 after the Dodgers release him.
Moreover, there’s no sign that he’s determined to get better. He’s hitting less than .100 in winter ball and still looks lost at the plate.
If nothing else, he’s worth keeping an eye on in spring training. If the Dodgers can’t trade him, they’ll still play him regularly and hope he can still produce.
He was so good for so long that it’s almost incomprehensible his career is over at 31. Then again, these last two seasons have gone a long way toward making us forget that other Andruw Jones.

Wow – could any front office take a runner on Jones at this point? Hard to believe that this guy might be playing for the league minimum come April…