Adam Jones on Vetoing Phillies Trade: 'I Earned This and It's My Decision'

Baltimore Orioles center fielder Adam Jones explained Tuesday that he simply exercised the rights afforded to him by Major League Baseball's collective bargaining agreement when he vetoed a possible move to the Philadelphia Phillies in advance of Tuesday's non-waiver trade deadline.

"When players walked out years ago and walked the picket lines and stuff, they did that for reasons like this," Jones said, according to the Baltimore Sun's Eduardo A. Encina. "I earned this and it's my decision. I don't have to explain it to nobody. It's my decision. Thank you."

Jones' comments come two days after Fancred's Jon Heyman reported Jones had "given the impression" he wanted to stay in Baltimore to see out the remainder of his contract, which is set to expire at season's end.

The 33-year-old was afforded the right to make that call after he earned 10-and-5 rights, which are given to players who have racked up at least 10 years of MLB experience, including the last five straight with the same team.

"I made the decision, you all didn't," Jones added after Baltimore's 6-3 loss to the New York Yankees. "This is my decision, this is my life. I'm not going around dictating other people's lives. So why do they do that with us? No one is going to tell me what to do. I earned every single bit of it. People before me fought vigorously, tirelessly to get rights like this. And I can invoke them."

Had Jones approved a move to Philadelphia, he could have provided a welcome veteran presence in a promising outfield that includes Odubel Herrera, Rhys Hoskins and Nick Williams.

However, a move down I-95 didn't suit Jones. As a result, his playing time is likely to dwindle down the stretch as the Orioles budget more playing time for young contributors with a full-scale rebuild in mind.

"I see what they're talking about when they're talking about us with a rebuild and fire sale," Jones said. "We got rid of some guys that are making substantial money and are probably gonna make substantial money next year. That's [proof] they're going in a different direction."

The 33-year-old—who entered Tuesday batting .285 with 11 home runs and 44 RBI—will be an unrestricted free agent at season's end.