Phillies Nation

73 Responses to “Heyman: Phillies Linked To Andruw Jones”

1. Manny Says:
   February 6th, 2009 at 9:15 am

   He already turned down a minor league deal from the Yankees…. and a minor-league deal would be as far as I’d go with this guy right now.

   BTW, Ronny Paulino hit a 2-run HR last night in the Baseball Serie del Caribe for his Dominican team. They lost 3-2 though.

2. Jeff Says:
   February 6th, 2009 at 9:16 am

   I think this would be a great Low Risk High Reward Gamble for the Phillies. He gets to play in a hitters ballpark and out of the LA cavern he was in. Maybe being in Philly would help him find his stroke again. Yes he is older than when he hit 50 for the Braves but, he obviously lost his stroke and mental edge put him with Utley who has one of the sweetest strokes in baseball.

3. Ed Says:
   February 6th, 2009 at 9:18 am

   Do it! Do it! Do it! For the right price that is. I mean honestly. 20% of Andruw Jones is still better than 100% of Bruntlett in the outfield or Matt Stairs…probably even Geoff Jenkins. Jones is a multi gold glove winner who when he makes contact can kill the ball. I would rather the Phils dump Jenkins and Stairs to bring on Jones. Nothing against either of those guys, and Stairs will always have a place in Phillies legend but this is about winning.

4. Jeff Says:
   February 6th, 2009 at 9:22 am

   Just to add on I don’t think we have really and fully understand the how much the loss of Burrell’s power numbers are going to be missed. We are banking on Werth to be Howard’s cover, Ibanez is a lefty and I would still pitch around Howard to get to him. I mean think about it if I were to walk Howard he is not going to tear up the base paths with his speed, but if Jones was covering him and he found his stroke… look out. Now that is a big if but, I like that risk more than I do Adam Eaton ever pitching another game for the Phillies and we pumped up his retirement money pretty high.

5. Jeff Says:
   February 6th, 2009 at 9:25 am

   Oh yeah I forgot that, gold glove too:) Question is would he be willing to be a bench player? He would have to really impress to dethrone Werth or Victorino, and of course we invested too much money in Ibanez.
   I trully think we need a right handed bat that can play both the Infield and outfield but if just one than Jones has the best tools out there.

6. Rick Says:
   February 6th, 2009 at 9:26 am

   What happened to Jones anyway? Perhaps the crackdown on PEDs struck him particularly hard?

7. Greg V. Says:
   February 6th, 2009 at 9:31 am

   I think if he’s had at the right price, Jones would be a nice pick up. I would figure the worst case scenerio is that he would be a little better than his disasterous year last year. Best case scenerio, he provides a powerful right handed bat in the pinch hitter spot.

8. Geoff Says:
   February 6th, 2009 at 9:35 am

   Like Manny said, I would offer him a minor league deal with an invite to spring training, nothing more. He mustve been roiding or taking HGH because since they broguht the hammer down with that he hasnt had any power to speak of…

9. Dan L Says:
   February 6th, 2009 at 9:37 am

   Tim makes an interesting point about Andruw when he says he has been one of the largest “fall from graces” in baseball history. Really, who has messed up their career so quickly and at such a young age, excluding injury?

   I’m with Rick, what the hell happened to this guy?
   It’s so easy to say steroids, but who knows.

   Other people constantly point to Jones having conditioning and weight problems. If conditioning is the problem, all we need to do is do the opposite of what we did with Freddy Garcia. Give the guy a physical! Maybe run him around in some drills a little bit to see if he’s not sucking wind like a middle aged investment banker.

   If he checks out like a prime-aged major leaguer should, as well as his price being around the same we would be willing to pay Nomar (who has been riddled with injuries over the past five years), why not give him a go? Maybe he’ll belt another 50 for us?

   We would just have to unload Stairs or Jenkins and hopefully get some infield help as well (outside of Bruntlett, we just have a bunch of has-beens in the forms of Giles, Ozuna, etc.–of course theres Donald, but im not sure if hes ready yet)

10. Evan Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 10:00 am

    Jones isn’t in good shape and he’s lost his swing. I can’t speculate as to why, but unless he’s done some work to improve his conditioning and spent serious amounts of time working on his swing, I don’t think he has anything to contribute. He had a BA less than .200 last season, that’s atrocious for a guy who was supposed to be an everyday player. If the Phils are going to sign him, it would be very wise to know that Jones has taken steps to fix whatever went wrong along the 2007-2008 seasons.

11. Chuck P Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 10:00 am

    I don’t think that Jones was on the juice. I think that he got too comfortable with his situation and stopped doing the things that he needed to do to stay at that level. His swing has always kind of been hit or miss… when he gained weight, opposing pitchers realized that he couldn’t keep up with fastballs and couldn’t reach balls on the outside part of the plate. It’s obvious that he fell victim to complacency but his attitude still has not changed. If this guy is going to get his career back on track, he’ll need to be willing to admit that he might have to spend some times in the minors and a lot of time on the treadmill. Up until now, he hasn’t showed that he’s ready to do that and he just seems like he could care less what happens as long as he’s cashing his checks. This is usually the type of situation that I jump all over but I’m not so sure about this one… he needs an entire off-season to prove that he’s going to do it. This ballpark, this head coach, this team and this city (not the pressure of NY) could be just what he needs but it has to be under our terms.

12. Chuck P Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 10:03 am

    Manny, thanks for the update on Paulino. I really think that was a great move for this team.

13. Elroy Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 10:09 am

    I also saw Paulino hit the HR. However, during that at-bat, he looked terrible against the curve ball. We all know what happens when a batter has exposure like that. Don’t get too excited just yet…

14. Maverick Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 10:14 am

    I say stay away… the guy was only capable of batting 222 during a contract year! Clearly landing a nice deal on the FA market wasn’t enough to motivate this guy to play and stay in shape.

15. NJ Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 10:14 am

    You can guarantee a roster spot for him, if you waive him either no-ones picking him up or your rid. Poor Andruw, you have to just wonder what he ran out of in that last year with the Braves and does JC know where Andruw can buy some more?

16. Don M Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 10:21 am

    Honest to god, my first thought when I read this headline today was, “WHAT THE FCK ?!?”

    …. he’s a fat slob, who got paid, and now has no desire to do anything… he always played to lazy, and “made the game look easy”… let him go back to Atlanta so Victorino can drop hits in around him and turn doubles into triples.

17. Geoff Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 10:25 am

    I agree…if you need bodies then you can invite him to spring training but he wont get any playing time…

18. Joel V Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 10:26 am

    Pick him up. Couldn’t hurt to give him a look. The market isn’t exactly great for him so we could probably get him pretty cheap.

19. Georgie Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 10:37 am

    I’m sorry, but if you are fortunate enough to make it to the big leagues and still let yourself go like that, to use one of Geoff’s words, that’s disgraceful! For his numbers and power to fall off like that within one years’ time makes me question how he got there. Either way, laziness or PED’s, it doesn’t bode well for his future. Maybe he can get back into shape, but I’d always be afraid he’d lapse back into his bad habits. We need another bat, but I’d be real careful with this one.

20. Don M Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 10:41 am

    He was on the juice no doubt about it… you don’t go from 51 HRs to only 26 HRs in a two year span..

    His last full season, 2007, he hit .222, last year he hit a whopping .158 in 209 at-bats..

    He’s done..

21. Chuck P Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 10:52 am

    Could someone tell me about Sergio Escalona? His numbers have been trending in the right direction and he’ll be at Spring training… he’s also LH. Looking at the recent PR coming from the Phillies, it sounds like they’re not going to end up with Beimel, Ohman or Flores so the might have to try to go with what they’ve got. What they’ve got is one and a half LH relievers (Eyre and Zagurski, who is recovering from TJ). If I had to make a wager, I would bet that the Phils are going to go with Park for the early going and leave Happ in the ‘pen until Romero returns (50 games). In other words, I think that Happ is going to get screwed. Unless Escalona can pitch… I don’t know anything about him but his numbers were pretty good last year in A and AA.

22. Rick F Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 10:56 am

    first Andruw Jones needs to go to a gym with some great personal trainers.He needs to get into shape.And if he does get back into shape, I think he won’t accept a minor league-offer.He’ll be looking for a 1year,1 mill or 1.5 mill deal. Not the best left on the market. If we could get abreu who could still hit around 20hrs, 90rbis and give some good d, that would be nice, but he got paid like 15-20mill last year and that’s way too much.Hopefully he realizes that until he softens his worth, he won’t get signed.

23. Rick F Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 11:00 am

    it looks odd, but jones is only 2 years older than ryan howard though howard has been in the league for only a few years while jones came in the late 1990’s. The phillies do an amazing job of producing great players in their,but they always call them up too late when they are around 27 or 28. We need some good starting batters who are young.

24. Rick F Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 11:08 am

    My plan for the pitching situation is this. If J.A Happ performs well in spring training he gets 5th job. Park gets bullpen job until romero returns. When romero turns park gets another shot at the starting position if he performs well in spring training. If happ loses then, he might go to bullpen or be a trade bait. Kendrick is a trade bait if he doesn’t perform well, but he’s still young so phils might bring him to leigh valley. Carlos Carrasco has a great future but I think he will start in triple-a and come in the mid-season. Another interesting thing is , I know Adam Eaton is disappointed in himself but he’s gotten alot of things out of this. 3 years,24 million dollars,a world series ring, his second double-digit win season because of the all the run support. All of that for 14 “miserable” wins and 18 horrendous losses and all those ugly no decisions. Also for 1 and a half years in the majors and the rest in the minor leagues. He’s basically getting paid 8 mill a year to be in the minors to improve his mechanics so he can find a job after this last year in philly. He’s a lucky guy

25. Geoff Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 11:11 am

    happ is in the roatation and hell stay there. park is in the bullpen and hell stay there. they got him to replace seanez…condrey is the odd man out when they sign another reliever, if they still do.

26. Griffin Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 11:15 am

    If it’s for a minor league deal, then let him try to make the team out of spring training.
    A major league deal? No thanks. Jones’ fielding has declined and he’s hopeless at the plate.

    Sign Adam Dunn to a one-year deal to platoon with Werth!!! (never going to happen). Seriously though, the Braves can get Dunn for one year/$5 mil. That is a steal.

27. Georgie Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 11:19 am

    Rick F, no, no, no to Abreau, I am all about the bad karma where he is concerned. That clubhouse changed practically overnight when he left, don’t know why, don’t care, just keep him far away from the Phillies.

28. Griffin Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 11:22 am

    I don’t know if anybody mentioned this, but Jamie Moyer is doing a live chat on ESPN right now:

    http://sports.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=24971

29. Georgie Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 11:24 am

    *Abreu* I must have Keith Primeau on my mind, lol.

30. NJ Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 11:51 am

    Hey can’t diss the Preem! Lindros yes but not the Preem

31. Richie Allen Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 12:16 pm

    If he accepts a minor league contract ,why not.But there is a reason the Dodgers totally gave up on him.He went from 100 mph down to a screeching halt in about 1 1/2 years.
    But just imagine this guy in his prime..fantastic defense,35 homer man,100 rbi,.265 hitter….and he’s only 31 yrs old.
    This is the kind of guy the Pirates should take a chance on not us.

32. yeago08 Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 12:26 pm

    I think Nomar is a better fit for this team. Jones has not had a solid season in three years, who’s to say he will now. He is washed up. Even at 31. Nomar on the other hand(pardon the pun) can play several positions and is still a pretty good offensive player.

33. metsblow4show Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 12:35 pm

    Jones was even sent home by his Winter League team this year after hitting about .190. No Thanks ! I would still like to see Moises Alou as the righthanded hitting outfielder off the bench.

34. Stuart Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 12:36 pm

    Much much rather have him playing left field then the old guy ibanez who isnt even good at fielding. and much much rather have him on the bench then nomar.

35. Geoff Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 12:44 pm

    Oh yeah I TOTALLY forgot about that…i was leery about jones to begin with until you reminded me of the winter league thing. What sane, rationally-thinking team would guarantee a major league contract of ANY sort to a washed up guy who hit .190 in WINTER BALL and got cut from his winter league team? nobodys going to give this guy anything other than a minor league contract with a spring trainign invite. he wont be placed on anyones 40-man roster until he returns to form in the minor leagues. this guy was DEFINITELY juicing. he hasnt been able to do diddly-poo offensively since they released the mitchell report.

36. Geoff Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 12:46 pm

    andruw jones is lazy and fat and slow now…raul ibanez is a thousand times more likely to run down a fly ball than jones. and at plate, theres no comparison. ibanez is light years beyond jones at the plate.

37. Geoff Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 12:47 pm

    you need someone like nomar actually. hes such a great fit for this team: veteran right handed bat winning playoff experience in boston and teh ability to play ALL infield positions minus catcher and probably the corner outfield spots as well if needed.

38. NJ Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 12:51 pm

    I don’t get the feeling Andruw was really juiced up but someone did steal his crystal slipper, either that or he was the pumpkin…

39. Brian D Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 12:57 pm

    those of you that were all for getting Sheets for 2 yrs raise your hand. Bet you are the same ones all for signing this fat, lazy has-been. You can’t coach work ethic and desire. If he didn’t keep himself in shape for Bobby Cox or Joe Torre he ain’t gonna do it for Manuel. He’s made his fortune and couldn’t care less about resurrecting his career.

40. Don M Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 1:00 pm

    Amen, Brian D.

41. Geoff Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 1:10 pm

    thats exactly right..not exactly the same people. If Ben Sheets’ medical records checked out theres nothing wrong with signing him to a lower risk brad penny deal, but clearly that wasnt teh case. they all saw his medical records and noticed that hed probably need surgery, thus he recieved almost no real offers. but if someone isnt healthy theres nothing you can really say. when healthy, who wouldnt want to sign sheets to a low risk deal. he should have gotten surgery RIGHT AWAY and auditioned for a trade deadline return.

    with surgery this late, id be shocked if this guy pitches at all this season. whats worse, more teams said he needed shoulder surgery as well as elbow surgery, so he hasnt done that yet either..

42. NJ Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 1:11 pm

    Raising my hand… Cannot understand why Sheets is going under the knife and missing out on a paycheck to be in exactly the same position he’ll be next off-season at worst case. Really thought he’d sign a one-year deal.

    The only reason you want Andruw is for novelty factor and a cautionary tale.

43. Rick Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 1:13 pm

    Geoff, Nomar WAS a good player when he was in Boston (with the short field in left). But IMO, I just don’t think the guy has any heart. He won’t play with a hangnail let-alone a real injury.

44. Geoff Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 1:35 pm

    i think the lesson here is taht all these guys: sheets, juan cruz, manny, varitek, burrell, all made big mistakes declining arb.

45. Joe O'Phillie Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 1:38 pm

    Some people are talking about him as if he IS a gold glover and IS a powerful hitter. He WAS those things and IS as far away from that as is humanly possible until he proves otherwise. He probably turned down the Yankees becasue there is no chance he could have an impact on the team. He will likely sign a minor league deal with incentives for a team that he has a chance to make the team and has the possibility to crack the starting lineup. No chance of that with the Phils.

46. Griffin Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 1:39 pm

    Burrell wasn’t offered arbitration. Varitek (and Boras) made a huge mistake. Manny will get paid.

47. Georgie Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 1:45 pm

    NJ, wasn’t dissing Preems, quite the opposite-if I had a shrine to anyone it would probably be him! No dissing of Lindros either, I’m one of the few who actually liked him.

48. Don M Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 1:47 pm

    I want to see what happens with Manny… Torre and Larry Bowa both stated they want him back, but he quickly declined a 1 year, $25 M deal last week (or this week?)..

    The Giants were said to be interested, but I think that is just to drive up the Dodgers price.. St. Louis could be a dark horse since Pujols made a case for Manny, and if they want ANY chance at keeping Pujols for his career, they need to surround him with real players again..

    But at this point the Dodgers are bidding against themselves, unless it becomes a 1 year deal, and then watch the Yankees get involved and throw $30 M at him to DH

49. Chuck P Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 1:48 pm

    SOOOO… no one knows anything about Escalona. No one has seen him play?

    I still think that Happ is going to get screwed because he’s a lefty and we need a lefthander in the pen until Romero returns. I think that Happ might be the best starting pitcher we’ve got but I think that they’re going to give Park his shot because a.) they have more invested in him b.) Happ is lefthanded and they are going to need a lefthanded reliever. ALSO… if Happ spends the entire season on the roster, they’ll save one of his option years and it’s easier to keep him around for an entire season if he’s a reliever. If they use him as a starter and he doesn’t do well, they might be forced to option him back down to the minors to “Brett Myers” himself and then they’ll face a difficult decision in 2010. I think I’m quoting that rule correctly… a player has three option years. After all of his options are used up, the team must keep him on the 25 man roster or see if he passes waivers before moving him to the minors. A LH pitcher with MLB experience… someone would scoop him off of waivers so they would have to keep him on the roster. He had one spot start in 2007 that might come back to haunt them.

50. Geoff Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 1:53 pm

    The Phillies can provide a cheaper DH alternative to the Yankees than Manny…oh I have a guy in mind for them that would only cost around 14-18M…

51. Ryan Howard Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 2:04 pm

    Geoff I’m going to punch you right in your mouth pal. see ya.

52. Chuck P Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 2:06 pm

    Is it time for the today’s edition of Geoff telling us why Ryan Howard sucks?

53. Georgie Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 2:07 pm

    Geoff, I can’t seem to come up with anyone, who could you possibly be talking about?

    Chuck, I am so afraid they’re going to screw around with Happ, they need to make a decision regarding him and stick to it, and hopefully it’s not the bullpen. We certainly don’t want to be forced to “Brett Myers” him (that would make a great new word for those who need a bit of R&R-”I need to Brett Myers myself”), I like it.

54. Chuck P Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 2:19 pm

    I agree, Georgie. I think that they’re going to be forced to do something that’s not good for the maturation of JA Happ (to ensure that they don’t force themselves into a corner). I like Happ and I think that he should be given a chance but I’m not sure. I’m not sure if he’s as good as he was last year and I’m not ready to keep him on the roster as a starter for the entire season and I’m certainly not ready to make him a fixture on the 25 man roster for next season without an adequate audition. He has only played 9 games in the major leagues…

55. NJ Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 2:20 pm

    q: Who would win in a fight between Geoff and Ryan Howard

    a: Geoff because apparently he hates him that much…

56. Chuck P Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 2:34 pm

    GEOFF… because Howard would bring a bat and based on what Geoff says, Howard couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with his bat.

57. Geoff Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 2:50 pm

    well i dont hate…i hate politicians, i would say im just not a personal fan of howard thats all..

58. NJ Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 2:57 pm

    Chuck I thought you were going to say Geoff would because Howard would bring a bat and Geoff would bring a gun…

59. Don M Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 3:32 pm

    Ryan Howard, because Geoff would say “PAL” so much that former 76ers star World B. Free would show up and assist Howard in the fight

    http://www.nba.com/sixers/community/Basketball_101_041112.html

60. Geoff Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 3:46 pm

    I wouldnt use a gun…I hope I would lose the fight so I could sue him…

61. Geoff Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 3:47 pm

    Guns arent necessary…I hope I would lose the fight so I could sue him…

62. Geoff Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 3:48 pm

    I wouldnt fight..I would say, “pal, you need to get traded to the yankees, pal.”

63. Chuck P Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 3:49 pm

    A good day on Wall Street makes Friday even sweeter! 6 more weeks of consecutive 200 point days and we’ll be right back where we were in October 2007.

64. Geoff Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 3:49 pm

    pal…

65. christopher Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 3:51 pm

    PLEASE GOD NO ANDRUW!

66. Kev Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 3:57 pm

    I dont know if he was juicing, he did come in the league at 18 and start and go to the world series with the Braves. I think it has more to do with pure laziness and just relying on his talent, rather then working hard to stay in shape and enhance his already lofty skill set.

    Even if he was doing roids which boosted his power, why would all of a sudden his average plummet? I just think its way too much of a blanket statement saying someone was doing roids if they all of a sudden just stop producing numbers, it has to do with a lot of different things. I wouldn’t sign him at all, after being that terrible last year. But back to the power numbers, he came in the league at 18, and by the time he went on to hit 30+ homers, that could of been attributed too a professional work out plan, maturing into his body, nutrition, a lot of things.

    Also, Geoff just stop talking about Howard, you continue to make yourself look like a complete jerk off

67. Chuck P Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 3:58 pm

    World B. Free… word.

68. metsblow4show Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 8:17 pm

    Geoff Says:

    I think I’d have no problem beating Ryan Howard in a fight. With Howard
    being a southpaw, I would just defense his punches the same way he
    attacks left handed pitching, I would just keep ducking loiw and away and
    after he fanned for about the 200th time, he would be exausted. I then
    BLOG him repeatedly until his head explodes !

69. NJ Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 8:29 pm

    you make a point, Ryan can’t hit you if you go high ‘n’ in or low ‘n’ away.

70. Gavin Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 8:48 pm

    Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

    Other than that, I like the idea. He makes Ryan Howard look like Tony Gwynn at the dish.

71. Geoff Says:
    February 6th, 2009 at 9:17 pm

    No Im not going to stop talking about ryan howard. hes a great great player hitter when hes on no doubt about it. absolutely great. but you know thats a lot of money thats better spent on cole hamels or shane victorino maybe. maybe they go and say “hey pal, yknow, theres other guys on this team who need long term contracts and youre gonna be the guy who makes the room for them, pal.”

    thats my reaction exactly to andruw jones btw. NO! Please, just..NO!

72. clktwr14 Says:
    February 7th, 2009 at 1:27 am

    Ed Wade, oh I mean Rueben Amaro Jr, would be stupid enough to sign him, and then he’ll start trying to sell us how he is a baseball man. Rick F, I don’t think Eaton is gonna get a WS ring, he was in the minors, his ring goes to Happ.

73. Baseball News Says:
    February 7th, 2009 at 3:59 pm

    It over for now…the Phillies will sign no one until the beg. of the season…..

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