Entering the final year of his contract with the Atlanta Braves, Andruw Jones showed up for spring training Tuesday about 10 pounds lighter and ready to swing a hot bat.
Jones hit 92 bombs and drove in 257 runs over the past two seasons while extending his Gold Glove streak to nine consecutive. With a change in ownership and payroll reduction, the burning question is, will the Braves be able to afford this luxury after 2007?
Turning 30 this April, Jones would like to stay with the Braves until the end of his career. It has been speculated that he gave Atlanta the hometown discount on his last deal (six-years, $75 million) bringing in his father to help with the negotiations instead of historically tough superagent Scott Boras.
Can Jones overlook the lucrative deals handed out this offseason, like Vernon Wells getting $126 million over seven years and Alfonso Soriano netting $130 million for eight? You can certainly expect him to join the same ballpark in 2008.
[MSNBC]
2 comments:
if only he could spell my name correctly...
Yeah, what's up with that.
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