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Food For Thought: Andruw Jones

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It’s too bad the Yankees aren’t getting the 20-something version of Andruw Jones, huh? Of course, he and Reggie Jackson accumulated their WAR in very different ways. The fielding component of Jones’ WAR (+24.0) is the third highest of all time, trailing only Brooks Robinson (+29.4) and Mark Belanger (+24.1). Ozzie Smith is right behind him at +23.9. That’s some serious company. Reggie was all offense (just +7.5 defensive WAR), but a run scored is the same as a run saved in the end.

Jones should be a fine fourth outfielder in pinstripes, but a far cry from his days in Atlanta. That assumes the Yankees will actually, you know, get him under contract one of these days. He agreed to terms about three weeks ago now, and we’re still waiting on the physical and signature. There’s a chance the team is just waiting until Spring Training begins, so they could simple slide Damaso Marte on the 60-day DL rather than sacrifice someone of the 40-man roster. That’s pretty much all the official business left for the offseason, which happily ends tomorrow.

(related graphs)

Yankees agree to terms with Andruw Jones

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Via Jon Heyman, the Yankees have agreed to terms with outfielder Andruw Jones on a one-year contract. The former Brave will earn a $2M base salary with another $1.2M in incentives.

This move has been rumored for a few days, and it was only a matter of time before it happened with Scott Boras in town for Rafael Soriano’s press conference. Jones steps into the Marcus Thames role as the lefty mashing fourth outfielder, except now they have a guy that can actually play defense. No, he’s not the defender he once was, but Andruw won’t embarrass himself out there either. It’s a nice cheap move that improves the bench and outfield depth considerably.

The 40-man roster is already full thanks to Soriano, so someone’s going to have to get the axe once Jones passes his physical and the deal becomes official. Joe and I talked about who the 40-man roster casualty might be in today’s podcast.

Soriano Presser Notes: Joba, Pavano, Pettitte

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(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Rafael Soriano was officially introduced as a Yankee today, though unfortunately the MLB.com broadcast didn’t show any of the juicy Q&A with Brian Cashman and the rest of the bigwigs. Thankfully we have Twitter, so here are some notes from the presser with the source in parenthesis…

  • Cashman acknowledged that a) he did not recommend signing Soriano to ownership, and b) it was Hal Steinbrenner’s call. “I just didn’t think it was an efficient way to allocate our remaining resources,” said the GM. (Joe Lemire)
  • “Its not my team. I don’t own it,” said Cash. “[The Steinbrenners] do. In any job you better be prepared for every decision to not go your way.” (Peter Botte)
  • Cashman did acknowledge that Soriano makes the team considerably better in 2011, jokingly saying “I think 29 other GMs would love to have their owner shove Rafael Soriano down their throat.” The man has a point. (Lemire & Botte)
  • The inevitable question was asked, and Cashman responded “[Joba Chamberlain] is a bullpen guy, for the 200th time.” Such a damn shame. (Botte)
  • Cash admitted that the team considered and had several discussions with the agent for … wait for it … Carl Pavano. Pavano was said to be seriously considering a return to New York, but he decided to pass on the team’s offer of a one-year deal when the Twins offered two guaranteed years. He passes the “better than Sergio Mitre” test and at this point he’d only cost a second rounder, so why the hell not? This offseason jumped the shark a long time ago anyway. (Botte & Brian Costello & Ken Rosenthal)
  • As for the rest of the free agent pitching market, Cash had a doozy of a quote: “It’s a difficult market to choose from. Listen, if you’re still on the board, there’s a reason for it … The starter might have to come from within. Hopefully we have some of these young kids answer the bell for us.” The truth stings, huh? (Bryan Hoch)
  • Since Scott Boras was at the presser, Cashman continued talks with him about Andruw Jones. I’d be surprised if he hasn’t agreed to terms by Monday, honestly. (Hoch)
  • And finally, there is still no official word from Andy Pettitte regarding his potential return or retirement, but Joe Girardi did speak to him last week and confirmed that the lefty is at least working out to remain in baseball shape. Better than nothing, I suppose. (Bryan Hoch)

Brown: Yankees nearing deal with Andruw Jones

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(AP Photo/Gregory Smith)

Update (12:20 p.m. ET): Yahoo’s Tim Brown reports that the two sides are nearing a deal. Ken Rosenthal recently reported that the Yankees were “balking” at Jones’s asking price, though.

No longer the defensive wizard he once was, Jones can handle still handle center or leftfield on occasion and will be a massive upgrade over Marcus Thames in that department. He can also crush lefties (.369 OBP, .229 ISO, .363 wOBA vs. LHP last two years) and isn’t totally useless against righties (.310 OBP, .262 ISO, .340 wOBA). Jones won’t hit for average, but bench players that will take walks and hit for a ton of power with passable defense are a valuable commodity.

Original Post (11:00 a.m. ET): We’re less than a month away from the start of the camp, but the Yankees still have a few items on the to-do list. One of them is acquiring a fourth outfielder. We’ve seen them connected to Andruw Jones before, and this morning ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the Yankees “are the frontronners” for Jones. He appears to fit the Yankees’ needs well, as he’s a right-handed hitter who can play the outfield corners. He’s probably not fit for full-time duty any more, so the Yankees could provide a good fit for him.

Mike wrote about Jones in December, and Ben then compared him to Marcus Thames. A week and a half ago we learned that the two sides had started talks. Hopefully they get it done this time around. Two years ago Jones opted to sign with the Rangers instead of the Yankees.

Late-night rumors: Rays, Yanks battling for 4th OFers

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As the Yanks and their division rival Tampa Bay Rays look to fill out their rosters, both teams are in the market for a fourth outfielder/veteran bat for the bench. The Yanks, we know, are looking at Andruw Jones, and the team has been tied to Johnny Damon. Tonight, Jon Heyman tweets that the Rays and Yanks are at least both interested in those two players, and it’s possible that one could wind up in Tampa Bay while the other comes to the Bronx. For the Yanks, I’d take Jones over Damon. He’s a righty bat who can still play the field while Damon would give the Yanks another lefty but with suspect defense.

Meanwhile, Heyman also says the Yanks are still in on Rafael Soriano despite Brian Cashman’s insistence that he won’t surrender a draft pick for a reliever. It behooves Soriano to have others believe the Yanks are interested, but there’s no reason to think their off-season strategy has changed lately.

Jones v. Thames: The fourth outfielder battle

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This won't make Great Moments in Yankee History. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Game 1 of the 1996 World Series was a shocking one for the Yanks and their fans. After a 15-year wait, the Bombers were back in the Fall Classic, but the Braves knocked around Andy Pettitte. Some 19-year-old kid named Andruw Jones stole the show as he belted a two-run home run in the second inning and added a three-run shot off of Brian Boehringer in the third. The Yanks would go on to lose the game 12-1, and with his glove and bat, Jones earned himself comparisons to both Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle.

Over the years, Jones almost lived up to his potential, but he never took baseball as seriously as he should have. In his age 28 and age 29 seasons, he hit 51 and 41 home runs respectively, and after 10 full seasons in the league, he had a .267/.345/.505 triple slash line with 342 home runs and over 1,000 RBIs. Those are the makings of a Hall of Fame-like career.

Since then, though, Jones’ production has dropped precipitously. He signed a two-year, $36.2 million contract with the Dodgers and couldn’t last in Los Angeles. Over the past four seasons, he’s averaged 104 games with a slash line of just .212/.312/.412 and has managed to add just 65 home runs to his total since then. He’ll turn 34 shortly after Opening Day, and he remains a free agent.

Throughout the winter, the Yankees have been intrigued by Andruw Jones. They realize his defense has declined along with his bat, and in fact, his once-mighty UZR now ranks him as merely an average player in the field. Yet, they see one number that intrigues them. In 102 plate appearances against lefties, Jones hit eight home runs in 2010 and sported a nifty .402 wOBA. With Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner vulnerable to lefties, the Yanks want a power right-handed bat who can play the field if need be. Jones, on their radar in 2009, might once again be there man, and the team is strongly interested in him.

Should Thames return in 2011? (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)

But what of the incumbent? Another 34-year-old with suspect defense held down the righty bat/fourth outfielder spot last year with mixed results. He certainly couldn’t play the field, but Marcus Thames broke out the boomstick at the right time. He hit .288/.350/.491 with 12 home runs in 237 plate appearances, and his .365 wOBA was just .005 off his career high. Against lefties, though, his numbers dipped. He hit just five home runs in 142 plate appearances and sported a .354 wOBA.

So now, as the Yanks look to fill in the blanks before Spring Training, the question becomes “who would you rather?” After running down these numbers, it might be tempting to lean toward Thames. He was productive against both lefties and righties last year and put up a career year, but his .248/.311/.491 body of work suggest that he’s not in line to do it again. They don’t call ’em career years for nothing. We also don’t need to know Thames’ -4.3 UZR to know he was a disaster in the outfield. That game against the Red Sox during which he just flat-out dropped a pop-up is good enough for me.

Perhaps then Jones with his .261/.361/.501 career line against lefties is the Yanks’ man. He can play a passable outfield for a few innings and can still flash the power. But salary demands are a concern. He’ll want way more than the $500,000 he earned in 2010, but Thames will want a raise from the $900,000 he earned. It seems that Jones will be the more expensive sure thing while Thames has the good will of 2010 going for them. With the Yanks’ money to spend, I’d err toward Jones. Would you?

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Yankees have “started talks” with Andruw Jones

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Via Jon Heyman, the Yankees have “started talks” with Andruw Jones, but nothing is close right now. The standard Heyman-Boras client warning applies. We first heard of the team’s interest in Jones a few days ago, and he makes sense for the Marcus Thames role of a righty hitting outfielder/designated hitter. He’s also some halfway decent insurance in case Brett Gardner’s wrist injury persists into the new season, since he can, you know, actually play the field on an everyday basis.