Would you pay this guy $18 million a year?

Andruw Jones is going to the Dodgers. Not only is he going to the Dodgers, but he’s going to make some decent money when he gets there. The Gold Glove center fielder and the Dodgers reached a preliminary agreement Wednesday night on a $36.2 million, two-year contract that gives him the fifth-highest average salary in major league baseball.

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking…how did this happen? Andruw’s numbers last year (his contract year) .222 avg. 24 HR 96 RBI. We’ve gone over the key to getting a bunch of money before, and it seems like Jones didn’t really have the numbers to even reach the $18 million/a year mark (and that’s with his 10 gold gloves). But, then again, he did have the X-factor, Scott Boras.

Earlier, there were reports that Andruw Jones and Boras were asking for something in the realm of $20 million a year for 6 years. I myself thought that after his less than stellar year he would fall into the realm of $17 million a year. It looks like the Dodgers decided to decrease their asking price a bit, and drop the years considerably. Will the smaller deal (year-wise) hurt Jones in the long run? Not likely. Jones is only 30 now. He’s contract will be up when he’s 32, which if he manages to revitalize his career in LA, he should have no problem getting his lucrative long term contract extension.

Looks like Joe Torre is going to be stepping into a pretty nice situation next year, yes?

ESPN: Andruw Jones, Dodgers reach preliminary agreement on $36.2 million, 2-year deal

Related –

Sports Business Digest: Atlanta Fans: Waive goodbye to Andruw Jones!

Category: Baseball