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According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Yankees have started talks with free agent Andruw Jones, though a deal is not believed to be close. Heyman wrote earlier this week that the Bombers were considering Jones.
The Yankees are pursuing Jones in part because they need a right-handed hitting outfielder, but also because they are concerned about Marcus Thames’ defense. The 33-year-old Thames was a nice surprise last season, batting .288/.350/.491 with 12 home runs, 33 RBI and an 841 OPS, but he can’t touch the versatility or defensive reputation of Jones.
Jones, who will turn 34 in April, batted .230/.341/.486 with 19 home runs and 49 RBI for the White Sox last season, including a .256/.373/.558 batting line in 102 plate appearances against southpaws.
We have become accustomed to players switching teams pretty frequently these days, and Jones has done his fair share of that over the past few seasons, but there would be something weird about seeing him in a Yankees uniform. It feels like it was just yesterday that he hit home runs off Andy Pettitte and Brian Boehringer in Game 1 of the 1996 World Series.
The Yankees are pursuing Jones in part because they need a right-handed hitting outfielder, but also because they are concerned about Marcus Thames’ defense. The 33-year-old Thames was a nice surprise last season, batting .288/.350/.491 with 12 home runs, 33 RBI and an 841 OPS, but he can’t touch the versatility or defensive reputation of Jones.
Jones, who will turn 34 in April, batted .230/.341/.486 with 19 home runs and 49 RBI for the White Sox last season, including a .256/.373/.558 batting line in 102 plate appearances against southpaws.
We have become accustomed to players switching teams pretty frequently these days, and Jones has done his fair share of that over the past few seasons, but there would be something weird about seeing him in a Yankees uniform. It feels like it was just yesterday that he hit home runs off Andy Pettitte and Brian Boehringer in Game 1 of the 1996 World Series.
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