Waive Jones? The Dodgers just started him alongside Manny on Friday! Methinks they aren't paying anyone to take that contract, at least until after Colleti is canned.

One frequent rejoinder I'm getting on this article is that Pierre isn't having a horrible year because of all of those stolen bases.

if the Dodgers eat more than half his salary, they might find a team willing to buy low and see whether he will put up a better contract year in 2009 than he did in ‘07.

You think so, Keith? It'd have to be substantially more than half for me to even entertain the notion. If they pick up $10, that's still $8 left, and I wouldn't be taking that risk. The teams that could afford to piss away that money can't afford to piss away the roster spot. I think they'd have to pick up 12 at the minimum.

One frequent rejoinder I'm getting on this article is that Pierre isn't having a horrible year because of all of those stolen bases.

Yes, they turn his season from horrible to exceptionally bad.

It takes a lot more than 36 steals to overcome a .641 OPS. Pierre's EqA (.248) is the lowest it's been since 2002. And he's a left fielder now. I'm sorry, but that doesn't come close to cutting it.

One frequent rejoinder I'm getting on this article is that Pierre isn't having a horrible year because of all of those stolen bases.

A LF hitting .281/.326/.318 with 37 stolen bases in 74 games started is still awful.

Thanks, guys. I'm sure Keith was wondering how he could possibly answer those people.

Meanwhile, if any of those people are GM's, I wonder who they'd trade for Willy Taveras?

[edited for grammar]

Maddux has indicated he will waive his no-trade clause only if he stays on the West Coast, which means the Dodgers or nobody.

Did Greg forget that the Angels are on the west coast? or do they not have a spot that is clearly open for him?

One frequent rejoinder I'm getting on this article is that Pierre isn't having a horrible year because of all of those stolen bases.

They probably own him in fantasy baseball.

From a Cub-centric POV, I'd expect Jason Marquis to clear waivers and be a possibility should a contending team lose a starter to injury. I'd also expect a Scott Eyre waiver deal with whoever gets to claim him first Boston or New York.

I’ve also speculated that the Dodgers might outright Jones off their 40-man roster and assign him to Triple-A Las Vegas. It won’t clear them of the financial responsibility, but it would free up the wasted spot on the 25-man roster.

Can they actually do this? Doesn't he have enough service time, > 5 years, to refuse any assignment to the minors?

Never seen a player look more cooked than Jones..It's not that the guy's an outmaker. That's his good at-bats when he get's a popup or something. The guy misses pitches like by a foot or a second. Obviously out of shape. And his attitude is like damn I capped the dumass for megabucks.
Normally a player like Jones will start to lose the shavings - normal hit balls with a share of them hits, retaining a base core adequate enuf to compensate somewhat by just trying to draw walks and clockin the lemons..220 ba, 350obp, 20 hrs..usually quite useless but somewhat tempting to team with power drain.. but all Jones has left are the pure accident Texas league popups and lucky slow grounders. No one will give 2 cents for Jones and will make that decision with an absolute, comfortable certainty that they're not missing the 210, 300, 15.

Did Greg forget that the Angels are on the west coast? or do they not have a spot that is clearly open for him?

Maddux has made it clear in the past that he has absolutely no interest in playing for an AL team.

I don't know on what metric we could objectively measure it, but Andruw Jones has to hold the record for quickest and steepest decline to suckitude.

It's unbelievable that he's the same Andruw Jones - I mean, 161/260/241!?!?! 73 Ks in 199 ABs? That's Royals SS bad.

How is it even possible? I mean, even out of shape and uninterested - one would think his inherent talent would at least make it possible for him to post a line that doesn't look like Derek Lowe's.

Maddux hates the DH that much?

I hope the Dodgers give up an A prospect for Mad Dog, and that he and Manny lead them past the DBacks, save Colletis job, and their first round sweep by the Mets is all that can be savored by team blue fans during the next five years of suckiness.

I'll just quote myself on this one, from a preseason NL overview I wrote:

Ned Colletti continually fails to impress, throwing a lot of money at a declining Andruw Jones to join the even more overpaid Juan Pierre in the outfield... It appears Colletti has backed himself into a corner and will have to deal one of the young outfielders because Pierre's $36 million contract is unmovable. Expect deja vu all over again next year with Andruw.

Well, I guess I had to get something right, with the exception of the outfield trade. I didn't figure he'd choose to unload LaRoche, instead, and leave himself the outfield logjam and a long-term hole in the infield.

So how many ABs does Jones get next season before he's DFA and, presumably, out of baseball?

So how many ABs does Jones get next season before he's DFA and, presumably, out of baseball?

Not a chance he'd be out of baseball.

So how many ABs does Jones get next season before he's DFA and, presumably, out of baseball?

Depends if Ned keeps his job. If he's replaced, then Andruw better look good in spring training to make the roster.

11,
You are right. They cannot send Andruw to the minors without his permission.

Nice call, Scott. I admit I was on the pro-Andruw-signing side of things, figuring that he'd bottomed out. For as much grief as I get over killing Pedroia last spring, my report on Andruw and praise of his signing have proven to be far, far worse.

I hope the Dodgers give up an A prospect for Mad Dog, and that he and Manny lead them past the DBacks, save Colletis job, and their first round sweep by the Mets is all that can be savored by team blue fans during the next five years of suckiness.

The Mets aren't making the playoffs and the Phillies don't win games in October.

- Did Greg forget that the Angels are on the west coast? or do they not have a spot that is clearly open for him?

Maddux has made it clear in the past that he has absolutely no interest in playing for an AL team.

Plus, the Angels wouldn't have a spot for him unless someone got hurt.

A LF hitting .281/.326/.318 with 37 stolen bases in 74 games started is still awful.

He's still better than what the D-backs ran out in left for the first third of the season. Arizona's GM and manager gave left field to a guy they knew had a bad hamstring who was "hitting" .209/.272/.369 while playing half his games in Chase. Ned's ####-ups with LA's outfield don't even compare with the tapestry of failure Josh Byrnes wove with his decisions about Arizona's outfield over the last 12 months.

Not a chance he'd be out of baseball.

Right. Today's 31-year-old Andruw Jones may be far inferior to today's 37-year-old Carl Everett, but the Long Island Ducks could still find a role for him.

I hope the Dodgers give up an A prospect for Mad Dog, and that he and Manny lead them past the DBacks, save Colletis job, and their first round sweep by the Mets is all that can be savored by team blue fans during the next five years of suckiness.

The Mets aren't making the playoffs and the Phillies don't win games in October.

The winner of the west will lose to the Cubs, unless the Brewers and Cardinals both tank the Wild Card.

I think the Twins are the only AL team that could potentially be interested in Huff as a DH even if you include AL East teams. TB could be a fit but I don't think they're interested in bringing back Huff. Huff is hitting 141 OPS+ so maybe a NL team would be willing to put up with his defense in order to gain his bat. Ed Wade, Andy MacPhail is waiting for your call.

Yea, send him down. And if team tries to force it, player can refuse and become a free agent. Little side note player forfeits the remainder of his deal...

Know what you're thinking, but it won't work. Jones is focused on cashing his checks and so is Boras.

my report on Andruw and praise of his signing have proven to be far, far worse.

I recall very few people in the media opposing the signing. The saber types were saying it was only two years, and it meant less playing time for Juan Pierre. The MSM types were saying "It's Andruw Jones."

I think the Twins are the only AL team that could potentially be interested in Huff as a DH even if you include AL East teams.

Not much room for him in MN. The team is quite committed to giving Young PT in LF, Gomez in CF, and Cuddyer's about to come off of the DL to return to RF. Jason Kubel is the third best hitter and has NONEglove, and that still leaves Denard Span (OBP around .400, should get about 4 starts per week as a 4th OF) and Randy Ruiz in the lineup to try his hand at the recently DFA'd Craig Monroe's gig. I don't see who Huff unseats there, especially if it costs money or prospects.

FWIW, Delmon has been non-terrible, too. Since his low water mark on 4/26, he's hitting .305/.335/.426, which isn't studly, but is respectable for a starter as young as he is. The HR power has to develop if he wants to be a difference-maker, and more discipline as a hitter will have to follow.

Right. Today's 31-year-old Andruw Jones may be far inferior to today's 37-year-old Carl Everett, but the Long Island Ducks could still find a role for him.

I'm sure this is snark, but we all have to agree that even if the Dodgers outright released him in the offseason, he would be on someone's 40-man next year, no question, correct?

Nice call, Scott. I admit I was on the pro-Andruw-signing side of things, figuring that he'd bottomed out.

Just to keep myself from getting too big a head, I also wrote that:

...the Cardinals appear to be a team in steep decline... the shockingly weak outfield consists of Rick Ankiel... and a collection of platoon players with limited skills at the other slots

I included the Cards under "Unlikely to be a factor". Oh well.

Scott, if you had predicted anything remotely like this for Ludwick, I would now be leading the charge to burn you for witchcraft. That was perhaps a bit harsh on Schumaker, but nobody can fault themselves for not seeing the Cardinals coming.

So, what the hell happened to Andruw Jones? Can someone find this guy a hitting guru or something to figure out what he's been doing wrong lately?

Am I still the only one who thinks Jones might be older than we think, explaining both his early success and his early decline? I feel like I have the one JFK theory without a group of dedicated followers. It's a lonely place, man. There is no ice cream and all the fruit on the trees is green and all my shoes are filled with sand.

There is no Andruw Jones.

It's a pretty sharp decline even if he is 7 or 8 years older than his listed age. If he is actually 38 and has been a heavy PED user who has quit due to testing and he herniated three disks off season before last...well, that would explain most, but not all, of his drop.

I suspect that unlike the fictional Joe Boyd, when Andruw's deal with the devil wore off he just kept playing.

There is no Andruw Jones.

Gotcha. You are, of course, correct.

[wink, wink]

And of course Ludwick has two more HRs tonight in 2 PAs....

It's a pretty sharp decline even if he is 7 or 8 years older than his listed age. If he is actually 38 and has been a heavy PED user who has quit due to testing and he herniated three disks off season before last...well, that would explain most, but not all, of his drop.

It's also a reminder that just because a guy can be a regular at age 20, and can compare reasonably well to Mays and Aaron, he's not necessarily them. They weren't just gobs of talent, they were gobs of talent that didn't lose it, and that's a good percentage of the battle.

I recall very few people in the media opposing the signing. The saber types were saying it was only two years, and it meant less playing time for Juan Pierre. The MSM types were saying "It's Andruw Jones."

How's it going, rr? I only play someone in the media on BTF, but I have to pat myself on the back for crapping all over this signing and picking up the gauntlet on at least one thread. Andruw was likely to be a disaster, and signing him absolutely destroyed what value Pierre did have (as a CFer).

Am I still the only one who thinks Jones might be older than we think,...

Pretty much. He just got old a few years early, and he's played a lot of games, which also can age a ballplayer. And he's fat! I'm amazed at how little it takes to kill a major leaguers career. Vision fails a tiny bit, a knee that's never quite right, a few things deteriorate a few percent and the guy can't or won't make the needed adjustments...

btw, Keith, there's probably a better word choice for what you're describing than "rejoinder", which is a reply to a reply.

There is no Andruw Jones.

You have been afflicted by the skepticism of a skeptical age. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the box scores to catch a 3 RBI game, but even if they did not see 3 RBI for Andruw Jones, what would that prove? The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. No Andruw Jones! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand calories from now, Robert, nay, ten times ten thousand calories from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

What's Andruw Jones' average on balls in play, this year compared to previous years?

How's it going, rr? I only play someone in the media on BTF, but I have to pat myself on the back for crapping all over this signing and picking up the gauntlet on at least one thread. Andruw was likely to be a disaster, and signing him absolutely destroyed what value Pierre did have (as a CFer).

Not bad. You? And yes, if you saw this as a bad signing, you were in the minority and called it.

Am I still the only one who thinks Jones might be older than we think

I have always thought so.

And that is why baseball is played by men today instead of by horses. But don't think that the shadow of Jones doesn't still lie heavy on the game. Have you ever noticed how retiring and silent and hang-door major-league ball players are, how they cringe before the umpire? They never know when another Jones may break away from a beer wagon or a circus or a plow, wander through an unlocked gate, and begin batting .538 to their .290...That is the secret we sports writers have kept all these years; that is why we have never written about Jones.

--Wilbur Schramm

Not bad. You?

Good, thanks. Back in the States, sharing a pleasant farmhouse on a pretty road, and it looks like I'll be starting my own superinsulated homebuilding business.

And yes, if you saw this as a bad signing, you were in the minority and called it.

Sigh... and predicted Delgado would have a hopeless year. Glad I s'ed the p on that.