The Adam Jones Era In Baltimore Is Officially Over As Jones Agrees To Deal With The DiamondBacks.
https://twitter.com/DTrainMLB/status/1104870035464511488
https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1104885957130665985
It's about damn time some team came to their wits and decided to sign outfielder, Adam Jones. According to Dontrelle Willis, (love D Train breaking the news), pending a physical, Jones will be a member of the Diamondbacks this season. Jeff Passan says it will be a one-year deal worth $3 million. I'm floored that this deal was the best one that Jones had, just unreal. I read and heard some reports that he had received minor league offers which is a flat out insult. No way should Adam Jones, a guy who can still produce and bring great leadership plus experience to a team, be relegated to the god damn minor leagues. Adam isn't riding any busses. This is just another example of how shitty FA has been this season even with Manny and Bryce getting their big deals, guys like Adam should not have been left out in the cold for a mere $3 million.
Jones heads to Arizona where they have a decent crop of outfielders, Stephen Souza Jr has bounced around but has shown flashes, Jarrod Dyson may be the fastest guy in baseball, David Peralta is a damn good player and no one seems to recognize it, and Ketel Marte just can't seem to break through. He'll be shuffled in with that group and probably will play a corner outfield spot. At 33 he still has some good baseball left in him, it's just a shame it took this long for someone to realize it. Arizona got a god damn steal here for only $3 million. A damn good competitor and a guy who will mentor and teach the young guys on the team, every team would love an AJ.
He was an absolute legend in Baltimore, whether it was his charity off the field, or play on it, Adam came to work everyday and played hard, didn't matter if the team was in last place or in the ALCS, he played tough every damn day. He was the face of the franchise after he came over from Seattle in 2008. I still wake up every day and thank the big man above that the Mariners were dumb enough to trade Jones, Chris Tillman and other for Erik Bedard.
His career numbers in Baltimore are some of the best ever for the franchise, five-time All Star, four-time Gold Glove, 1,613 games (9th all time), 875 runs scored (7th all time), 1,781 hits (5th all time), 2,929 total bases (5th all time), 305 doubles (8th all time), 263 home runs (5th all time), 866 RBIs (6th all time), seven seasons of 25+ home runs, a .279 average, and three top 14 MVP seasons. Like I said earlier, he's raised an insane amount of money for different charities around Baltimore and was very outspoken about several issues within the city. He was the leader on the field and in the locker room, but it was understood why he wouldn't be back on the Orioles after his contract expired after last season. The team was going younger, and at 33, he isn't getting any. He even vetoed a trade that would have sent him to Philly last year as they tried to make a playoff run, he said no because he wanted to go down with his sinking ship. Not many players would have done that.
I am sad to see Adam go and he recently just sold his house in Maryland (Cal Ripken Jr's old house) so he's officially closed the door on him coming back. I wish him nothing but the best and hope to see plenty of diving catches, bubble blowing, pies in the face, donuts in the clubhouse, and dongs being hit. I'll always love you, Adam. See you back in Baltimore when you get inducted into the Orioles Hall Of Fame.
PS. I'm hoping he brings back the celebrations in Arizona, looking forward to him jumping in the pool after every win.