As reported by Jon Heyman at SI.com, the Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to release outfielder Andruw Jones today after just one year of service. Last off season Jones signed a free agent contract with the Dodgers worth $36.2 million over 2 years with a $12.2 million signing bonus.
What did the Dodgers get for their money? Here are Jones' 2008 stats: .158 batting average, 3 HR, 14 RBI, and he struck out 76 times in 209 at-bats (that's a whopping 36% of the time!). As an Atlanta Brave, Jones was also known to be a stud in the outfield. He won an amazing 10 Gold Glove awards.
So what happened? He got FAT--signed the big free agent deal, stopped working, and was completely out of shape all season. He spent time on the DL with a knee injury--which may or may not have been due to his physical conditioning. He's so bad now that ESPN's Buster Olney argues that, at just 32 years old, Jones' career might be done. Some guys get that big deal, then they go out and work and grind and want to prove that they are worth it. Other guys think the big money deal is the reward for the work they've done. They get their money and just put it in cruise control. Jones, obviously the latter, couldn't even get it into cruise control--the engine fell out.
Jones was definately the biggest bust of the 08 season, but probably not the biggest of all time. The length of the contract (only 2 years) keeps him from being a truly epic bust such as Chan Ho Park (Rangers), Carl Pavano (Yankees), Mo Vaughn (Angels), Mike Hampton (Rockies), and Barry Zito (Giants).
After being stung by Jones, maybe this is the reason the Dodgers are so reluctant to shell out big bucks for Manny Ramirez, who they desperately need if they want to contend in 2009. Or maybe the Dodgers are just being cheap.
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