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Chipper Jones

Olney On Chipper, Sherrill, Torre, Gonzalez

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Chipper Jones told ESPN.com's Buster Olney that he and Jim Thome met and complained "like two old grannies" last summer when Jones was struggling and Thome wasn't playing much. Thome finished strong and re-signed with the Twins and Jones is eager to play again, too. Here are the details on Jones and from around the majors:

  • Jones says getting rest every week or ten days helps him stay strong throughout the season. The veteran third baseman has only played in 135 games once in the past six seasons because of a variety of injuries, so it makes sense to give him the occasional day off.
  • The Phillies tried to sign George Sherrill this winter, before he signed with the rival Braves. Philadelphia sent executive Pat Gillick to see Sherrill and manager Charlie Manuel talked to him, but the left-hander wanted to play within driving distance of his father.
  • Joe Torre makes about $2MM in his new job with MLB, according to Olney.
  • Gio Gonzalez looks very, very good, according to a scout.

NL East Notes: Chipper, Zimmerman, Lee, Trump

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NL East teams have nearly finished their offseason shopping, but could make a move or two while Spring Training is underway. Here are the details…

  • Chipper Jones was thinking about retirement last year, but tells Scott Miller of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) that he wants to play until the end of his current contract, which is guaranteed through the 2012 season.  The Braves hold a $7MM option on Jones for 2013 which can also vest if Jones plays a certain number of games over the next two seasons.
  • Ryan Zimmerman pushed the Nationals to re-sign his friend Adam Dunn, but Zimmerman said his disappointment over Dunn's depature shouldn't be interpreted as criticism of the the club, writes CSNWashington's Mark Zuckerman.  "I was just expressing more frustrations of losing a teammate and a friend than anything," Zimmerman said.  "I think a lot of people took it as I was taking a stab at [the Nats] or talking bad about them, which was completely the opposite."
  • Michael Weiner said the MLBPA was happy with Cliff Lee's decision to sign with the Phillies, rather than sign for larger contracts in Texas or New York, tweets Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan.  "Not only were we not upset Cliff got to go to the Phillies, we applauded him," Weiner said.
  • Donald Trump told Alison Leigh Cowan and Ken Belson of the New York Times that he's interested in buying a majority stake in the Mets. Trump says he called Fred Wilpon about two weeks ago to set up a meeting.
  • Mets GM Sandy Alderson says it's "unlikely" that the Mets discuss an extension with Jose Reyes before Opening Day, according to ESPNNewYork's Adam Rubin. Reyes is set to hit free agency after the season and has said he's open to a long-term deal. The $1 billion lawsuit against the Mets owners won't prevent the Mets from signing Reyes to a multiyear deal, Alderson said.
  • Jason Isringhausen auditioned for the Mets today, according to Newsday's David Lennon (on Twitter). Alderson and two of his assistants, J.P. Ricciardi and Paul DePodesta, are familiar with the longtime closer from his time in Oakland. Isringhausen first appeared in the majors as a starter for the Mets in 1995.
  • ESPN.com's Buster Olney says the Phillies' starters would rather pitch than talk about their place in baseball history.

MLBTR's Mark Polishuk also contributed to this post

Braves Notes: Payroll, Greinke, Uggla, Chipper

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Braves GM Frank Wren told David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he has noticed a “re-emphasis on speed” in baseball over the past five or six years. Wren said he’d like the Braves to transition into a more athletic club, but that’s far from the only interesting comment he made. Here’s the latest:

  • Wren says the Braves have “an ample payroll to win” without question. The Mets and Phillies may spend more, but teams like the Rays win with less.
  • The Braves discussed trading for Zack Greinke, but decided against it. “We talked about it,” Wren said. “I just think it was going to be cost-prohibitive for us, because some of those players it would have taken to make that deal are players we’re going to be counting on in the next year or two, and we think they’re going to be premium talents at the major league level.”
  • Generally speaking, Wren said he is hesitant to trade “productive, game-changing” young players who could have a “huge major league impact in the future.”
  • There have not been setbacks between the Braves and Dan Uggla as they discuss an extension. O’Brien suggests the sides will likely reach a five-year deal this offseason.
  • Chipper Jones explained to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick that his pre-season workouts have been coming along slowly, but steadily. "I'm so out of shape, one of my neighbors caught me dry-heaving on his lawn," Jones said. "We had a nice little chuckle out of it. I grabbed his phone to make sure he didn't take any video and people would see it on YouTube."

Chipper Jones Plans To Return Next Season

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Nearly eight weeks after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his left knee, third baseman Chipper Jones told Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com that his recovery is going well.  While the veteran's knee won't heal in time for him to play in the National League Championship Series or the World Series, Jones sounds confident that he'll make it back at some point in 2011.

"I don't want the last memory of me to be laying out behind third base. On top of that, I was playing really well and I was swinging the bat really well. I was healthy and I was running the bases good. My frame of mind was really focused. I just want to keep going," said the 38-year-old.

Jones has two years remaining on his deal and is guaranteed to make $13MM for each of those seasons.  The Braves hold a $7MM club option for 2013 but that option will automatically vest if the veteran plays in 123 games in 2012 or averages 127 games over the next two years.  The six-time All-Star played in 143 games in 2009 but appeared in just 95 this past season.

Odds & Ends: Rangers, Pirates, Cotts, Marlins

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Links for Friday, before Dan Haren celebrates his 30th birthday by taking on one of baseball's most potent offenses…

  • MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan lists ten decisions that have been critical to the Rangers' success this season.
  • The Pirates have released lefty Neal Cotts according to Matt Eddy of Baseball America and this week's edition of minor league transaction.
  • Padres' first base coach Rick Renteria is on the Marlins radar with regards to their managerial opening, says MLB.com's Joe Frisaro. He adds that Yankees bench coach Tony Pena is a candidate as well. 
  • Chipper Jones told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports that it would be hard to stop playing before his body prevents him from doing so, partly because “you can make absurd amounts of money” as a baseball player.
  • Former Orioles manager Dave Trembley told ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick that he’d like to coach in the major leagues next year (Twitter link).
  • The Pirates' minor league success has been a major positive this year, but Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette questions how the Pirates also allowed for "near-total destruction of the major-league product." The team is 50 games below .500 with the worst record in baseball.
  • Carl Crawford told Rob Bradford of WEEI.com that his impending free agency hasn't been hard to handle, since the Rays are winning. Click here for Bradford's analysis of how Crawford would fit in Fenway.
  • Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald breaks down Boston's options behind the plate for 2011, from free agents Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek to new acquisition Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
  • John Dewan of the Fielding Bible explained to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post that Adam Dunn's poor defense wouldn't necessarily prevent the Nationals from building a better defensive team.

Stark On Lee, Prince, Braves, Nationals

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ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark debated the pros and cons of moving back the trade deadline with a number of MLB general managers. The group was divided on whether to move the deadline to August, but Stark suggests we’re not likely to see MLB make such changes any time soon. Here are some more hot stove updates from around the league:

  • One source told Stark that Cliff Lee will follow the money this winter: “Cliff would go to Siberia if they offered him the biggest contract."
  • Rival teams expect the Brewers to look into trading Prince Fielder this winter. One executive told Stark that the Brewers were “shocked” not to see more interest in Prince before the trade deadline.
  • Braves GM Frank Wren has often jokingly told Billy Wagner that it’s too soon for him to retire. The lefty maintains that his playing days are over after 2010.
  • Wren says the Braves are assuming that Chipper Jones, who is under contract next year, will be back in 2011.
  • Nationals president Stan Kasten told Stark that Washington will be "more aggressive than we've ever been" this offseason. Presumably that means they’ll try to re-sign Adam Dunn and offer Carl Crawford a contract.

Poll: How Will The Braves Replace Chipper?

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Braves GM Frank Wren will meet with Bobby Cox and the team's scouts to decide how to replace Chipper Jones, according to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). They could rely on Martin Prado, Omar Infante, Brooks Conrad and Eric Hinske, or they could look to acquire a player from outside the organization. Tell us what you think Wren & Co. will do:

How will the Braves replace Chipper Jones?

Click here to take the survey and here to view the results.

Chipper Out For Season; Braves Have Depth, Options

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Chipper Jones will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, according to Chris Dimino of 790 The Zone (Twitter links). It’s a major blow for the Braves, but they should have enough depth to win without Chipper.

When Martin Prado returns from his finger injury, he and Omar Infante can combine to play second and third and Brooks Conrad can continue backing up at the hot corner. Eric Hinske, primarily an outfielder, won the 2002 Rookie of the Year at third and has played there on occasion in 2009-10.

Aramis Ramirez, Pedro Feliz, Wes Helms, Adam Kennedy, Jose Lopez, Brandon Inge, Jhonny Peralta, Ty Wigginton, Edwin Encarnacion, Melvin Mora and Willie Bloomquist are among the infielders who could clear waivers this month. The Mariners tried to engage the Braves on Chone Figgins last month, so perhaps Jack Zduriencik will call Frank Wren to see if the Braves are interested now.

Chipper Jones Leaning Toward Retirement

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Chipper Jones confirmed in a press conference this afternoon that he is leaning toward retiring at season's end, tweets Mark Bowman of MLB.com. The switch-hitting veteran says he won't address the subject again until after the season, in part because he doesn't want to overshadow Bobby Cox's retirement (Twitter link). In a blog entry for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, David O'Brien provides an entire transcript of Chipper's comments.

Chipper's performance so far this year (.234/.378/.366) represents his worst statistical season since becoming a full-time player in 1995. However, his career numbers remain Hall of Fame-worthy: .306/.406/.537 and 430 home runs in nearly 9500 plate appearances.

After 2010, the 38-year-old will have earned over $141MM throughout his major league career, according to Baseball-Reference. He'd be leaving plenty of money on the table if he decides to retire after this season though, as his current contract would pay him at least another $28MM through 2012, along with potential performance bonuses and a 2013 club option.

Odds & Ends: Chipper, Cubs, Lowell, Mets, Tigers

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Links for Thursday, as Ubaldo Jimenez keeps winning…

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