White Sox sign outfielder Andruw Jones
For the second time this week, the White Sox deepened their bench by signing a player whose best days were during Bush's first term.
On Monday, it was 11-time Gold Glove infielder Omar Vizquel, and on Wednesday it was 10-time Gold Glove outfielder Andruw Jones, who agreed to a one-year deal that will give him a base salary of $500,000 with an additional $1 million in performance bonuses.
(AP)
While there may be a lot of defensive hardware between Jones and Vizquel, there's also a lot of dust that has collected the last few years.
"This is an opportunity to add a power bat to the roster while improving our outfield depth,'' general manager Ken Williams said in a statement.
"With the addition of Andruw, Mark Kotsay and Omar Vizquel, we feel our bench is taking shape to be a strong asset heading into the 2010 season.'' That might be the case. But the signings also send the message that the youth movement emphasized last season has been somewhat cast aside. Brent Lillibridge and Jayson Nix now will be hard-pressed to make the Sox' roster.
A back-up catcher will give manager Ozzie Guillen four players on his bench, and if Guillen carries 12 pitchers, as has been his history, Nix and Lillibridge likely will spend significant time at Class AAA Charlotte.
The 32-year-old Jones batted .214 with 17 home runs and 43 RBI in 82 games with the Texas Rangers last season and is a career .257 hitter with 388 home runs, 1,174 RBI and 1,109 runs scored in 1,918 games with the Atlanta Braves (1996-2007), Los Angeles Dodgers (2008) and the Rangers. He also has 356 doubles and 143 stolen bases on his resumé.
Jones still doesn't solve the hole at the leadoff spot. Talks with Scott Podsednik have again stalled.
The Sox have spoken to representatives for free agent Coco Crisp, but a source close to the situation said Crisp is a backup plan if things don't change with Podsednik very soon.