Andruw Jones to sign with the Rangers

[NYgiantsfan5689]

The Texas Rangers will announce in the next few days that they have signed center fielder Andruw Jones to a minor league contract that will pay him a base salary of $500,000 if he makes the majors, the Post has learned.
Jones will also have an opportunity to make $1 million more in bonuses, but to earn that total, he would have to be close to a full-time player, which is dubious at best.
The New York Yankees had offered Jones a minor league contract, as well, a Yankee source confirmed following an initial report by SI.com. The Yanks would have had Jones come into camp and try to win the center field job instead of either Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner.

Jones is trying to resurrect his career and getting to the Rangers was important to him because both Jones and his agent, Scott Boras, believe so much in the tutoring of Texas hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo, a source said.
The Rangers had Jones in for a workout last month and were impressed that he had indeed slimmed down and that his surgically repaired knee looked good. Still, Ranger officials are saying that Jones will have to earn his way onto the team. Currently, Texas has Josh Hamilton in center flanked by Nelson Cruz and David Murphy with Marlon Byrd and Frank Catalanotto as reserves. However, the Rangers would not mind moving Hamilton to a corner to possibly better preserve his body.
Jones hit just .158 last season and was overweight after signing a two-year, $36.2 million free-agent deal with the Dodgers. Los Angeles worked out a restructuring of that contract a few weeks ago that distributed all but $5 million of what he is owed this year to the future.

Interesting that he's actually concerned about his hitting enough to pick a team based on their hitting coach

[love_that_reefer]

Another team Jones will not be playing for next season. Rangers have much better players as is and Borbon is climbing through the minors.

[missionhockey21]

Yeah, I am sure that was the reason he went to Texas, the hitting coach. While Jaramillo is indeed a great hitting coach and no doubt part of the reason why Jones might choose Texas, we all know it is the ballpark. This was a huge power hitter and we all know that is why Boras and him chose a park that lets them fly out with ease. I agree with reef though, moving up and through that depth chart will be hard and probably unlikely unless he has done dramatic work to get back into shape.

[Kingdom]

Even if he made the team, he'd stroke out from the heat in July.

[ljshorty89]

He could probably be a decent bench player if he finds himself.

[love_that_reefer]

Andruw Jones hit his first spring homer Monday off the Dodgers' Claudio Vargas.
Jones is 6-for-16 with three strikeouts in March after going 1-for-9 with eight strikeouts in February. He's still a ways off from making the Rangers, but things are beginning to look up.

Still won't make the team but could impress someone else.

[NYgiantsfan5689]

Peter Abraham said he talked to 3 different scouts today who all said he's done. He has no bat speed left according to them

[realmofotalk]

Schmidt should've just blown out his shoulder again by beaning Andruw Jones in the face with an 80 mph fastball. That way you have two assholes having their season ended before it even begins.

[catman]

I saw most of the game today on the MLB Network and Jones looks better than he has in about 4 years. His swing is back and he seems to be running well. Could be a very good addition to this team.

[love_that_reefer]

I can't believe they are eating Catalanotto's salary to release him and make room for Jones. This is a poorly run franchise!

[love_that_reefer]

Jones had three hits in his Ranger debut.

[rockin500]

jones actually looks like a major leaguer again.

[NYgiantsfan5689]

According to baseball tonight, the Texas hitting coach told Andruw he was leaving way too much weight on his back foot and swinging with his arms. Interesting

[realmofotalk]

too much weight on his back foot

yeah, no kidding

[mlb444]

well he got his first homerun yesterday