Yankees have spoken to Andruw Jones about returning

November 14, 2011 by Mike Axisa 26 Comments

Via Marc Carig, the Yankees have spoken to Scott Boras about possibly bringing Andruw Jones back in 2012. Boras also confirmed that his client had left knee surgery after the season, which was expected after he played with a small tear all year.

Jones, 34 in April, started off slowly this past season but hit the snot out of the ball in the second half, finishing the year with a .371 wOBA overall and a .400 wOBA against left-handed pitchers. It didn’t come out of nowhere either; he had a .364 wOBA overall and a .402 wOBA against lefties in 2010. Jones is almost the perfect guy for the job because he works deep counts, hits for huge power, is capable on defense, and is a veteran guy who’s seen it all before, but I do have to think he’d jump at the chance to be a full-time player if another club offered him the opportunity.

MannyB ace2be

Does anyone know if Jones has expressed a desire to stay? Did he mention that he enjoyed his time here?
- http://twitter.com/#!/czm93 Craig
  
  He apparently got close to Jeter in his time here.
- Nick
  
  i heard the generic end of the year answers, but no really really wants to come back statement. would probably go somewhere where he could play at least a platoon.
James

A lot of (non-contending) teams could do worse than start him 500+ times a year in their outfield. Last two years he’s been worth over three wins in 550 PAs and his ISO and BB% are both top five among outfielders. Granted, he was specializing against lefties, but his .336 wOBA vs righties is respectable enough.

I think he’s earned a shot somewhere to hit more than 220 times a year. It’d be nice to see him resurrect his career.
- Ted Nelson
  
  He certainly could be a good starting OF for a lot of teams… but the big thing to consider is that most pitchers are righties. Against righties Jones hasn’t been nearly as good the last two years. 2011 he was at .316 wOBA against RHP, 2010 was .342.
  
  He might still be fine as a starter, but his overall numbers don’t necessarily project in a straight-line. Especially because he actually faced more LHP than RHP as a Yankee, twice as many.
jramey

He’s made his money. It might be more about winning again now than playing full time. It’s a tough call.
http://bleedingyankeeblue.com Jesse

I say a team like the Seattle Mariners give him a shot to at least platoon, but I’d like it if he came back.
Soriano Is A Liar

My pick is Jones to the Dodgers. He’d be a clear upgrade over Juan Rivera, and in any case Rivera is likely to play a lot of first base anyway. I would love it if he cam back though.
- http://riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
  
  He’s definitely not going back to the Dodgers after his first stint there.
  - RetroRob
    
    Yeah, really. That’s the last team I’d expect him to be on. I think we’d see Javy Vazquez, act III on the NY Yankees before Jones is back in LA.
    - http://bleedingyankeeblue.com Jesse
      
      I wouldn’t go that far, but I see your point. He’s not going back to the Dodgers.
      - Soriano Is A Liar
        
        Wow, I seriously forgot about that. Derp.
    - Brian S.
      
      Vazquez to teh eighth inningz
Jamey

I’d love him back, but barring his knee surgery scaring teams off I think he probably played his way into a better deal than Yankees would give him to be the 4th OF/DH off bench.
bankers hours

Jones had a great year for a fill in outfielder. He hit leftys well, had great power numbers, and was ok in the field although he couldn’t cover much ground. Only trouble with a player like Jones is on a team like the Yankees he’ll never play in the post season. Most Yankee starters play vs leftys and rightys and don’t get pinch hit for much. Otherwise, a good sign, cheap has experience and power.
RetroRob

I remember earlier in the season he said something like he was looking forward to playing with the Yankees, and that he willingly accepted his part-time role this year, but that his goal was to show other teams that he could still play full time.

So, yeah, I think his first goal will be to see if a team will let him play reguarly again. Failing that, a platoon role, which is probably likely. Unfortunately the Yankees can’t offer either of those, so I think it’s likely he’s somewhere else come 2012.
Anthony Murillo

I would love it if the Yankees re-signed Andruw Jones. He hits lefties well, plays a passable LF.

Plus, he always has a smile on this face…
- FIPster Doofus
  
  “Showing one’s teeth is a submission signal in primates. When someone smiles at me, all I see a chimpanzee begging for its life.”
  
  -Dwight Schrute
  - I am not the droids you’re looking for…
    
    /racist
Billion$Bullpen

Last night we were all talking about the topic of staying and getting in shape. It is a crime against himself and baseball that Jones refused to take care of himself. He ate his way out of the hall of fame. Would be good to get him back in the role he filled last year, and I think he would benefit from it. His general lack of conditioning would really make him look bad if he needed to be a full time player again.
- Monteroisdinero
  
  Agree with this. He is a hot dog who can still get by on raw talent. No hustle, all or nothing swing.
IB6 UB9

Glenallen Hill always seemed like he could be a regular, but he was what he was. Jones should accept that that is what he is now aand imbrace it.
Bronx Byte

Andruw Jones is still owed $3.2M by the Dodgers each year through 2014 as deferred money when he signed his deal with them. His deal of $2M with the Yankees in 2011 was separate.

How about Manny Ramirez!
Boston has to pay him $1.9 + interest every July 1st through the year 2026. John Henry must be pissed on July 1st. He didn’t own the Sux when Ramirez signed his original contract but is obligated to pay the deferred money.
- Jose M. Vazquez..
  
  This may also happen with Kemp’s contract with the new owners coming in. I said in another comment that I prefer Cespedes over Jones. The former is much younger, hungrier and can hustle and run the bases as well as hit with power.
David Ortiz’s Dealer

The Yankees were blessed with both OF health and Grandy/Gardy learning how to hit/continuing to hit lefties. If Montero gets significant DH AB’s this could cut into Jones AB’s.
Carl LaFong

At the moment, I have a man crush on Josh Willingham. Does the guy have a good enough arm to play right field? I’d love to see this dude get a chance to play & hit regularly at the Stadium.