Andruw Jones Is Not a Good Fit for Rebuilding Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves caught a lot of flack for the way they handled the departure of long-time franchise cornerstone John Smoltz, who recently signed a one-year deal with the Boston Red Sox.

However, Braves General Manager Frank Wren made up for that potential gaffe by signing Derek Lowe to a four-year, $60 million deal.

While most observers think Wren made a good move to get Lowe, who went 14-11 with a 3.24 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers last year, Wren would be wise to avoid another Dodger free agent who happens to be an ex-Brave: outfielder Andruw Jones.

Jones was released by the Dodgers Thursday just 13 months after signing a two-year, $36.2 million deal with Los Angeles. The 31-year-old Jones, who has already played 13 seasons in the major leagues, batted just .158 with three homers and 14 RBI in 75 games with the Dodgers.

In Jones' defense, he was limited by a knee injury that required surgery in May, but he also showed up to spring training overweight, so he didn't do himself any favors from the get-go.

Now, the Dodgers are on the hook for $21.1 million, which he'll get over the next six years. If Jones signs with another team, they'll only be responsible for $400,000 of his salary.

Sounds like a bargain for the budget-conscious Braves, right? Wren could fill the starting center-field job, get a power bat on the cheap, and make the good public relations move of bringing back an ex-Brave all in one swoop.

Wren should stay away from Jones, though, for a number of reasons.

First, even though Jones is 31, he's become far too much of a homer-or-bust kind of player. Over the 2005-2007 seasons, his homer total went from 51 to 41 to 26 and his batting average slipped from .263 to .222.

Meanwhile, his strikeout total increased every year during that span (an average of one per 4.6 at-bats) and even last season, he struck out 76 times in just 209 at-bats (one every 2.6 at-bats).

Also, it looks like Jones has lost a step in center field. Whether it's due to the injuries suffered while going all-out after every fly ball hit his way in Atlanta or just a case of a player getting older, Jones' play in center field his last few years as a Brave didn't measure up to what he did earlier on in his career.

All those things being said, there's a lot to recommend Jones. In 1,836 games over 13 seasons, Jones has a career batting average of .259 with 371 home runs and 1,131 RBI. He has won the Gold Glove Award 10 times and been a member of the National League All-Star team on five occasions.

However, when you look at his age, how much he has left and how much money Jones' agent, Scott Boras, will want for his client, he doesn't look like a good fit for the Braves.

They'd be better off going after another free agent outfielder that could serve as a one or two-year stopgap, like Mark Kotsay was supposed to be last season, until a prospect (perhaps Jordan Schafer, Gorkys Hernandez or Brandon Jones?) is ready to step into the lineup.

Wren may be smarting because of what happened with Smoltz, but if he's smart, he won't try and make up for letting Smoltz get away by signing Jones.