Adam Jones Signs With Diamondbacks

It has been a very interesting winter for the free agents in Major League Baseball. Some very big name players have had a hard time finding a team that is willing to sign them. Bryce Harper just got finished finalizing his huge contract with the Philadelphia Phillies after months of negotiating. Other stars like Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel are still out there trying to latch on with a team. The thing that makes it extra tough for these players right now is that spring training is well under way. Therefore, these players need to keep themselves in shape without the benefit of playing in spring training games to help them prepare for the upcoming season.

One of the names that has not been talked about a lot this winter has been Adam Jones. The former star outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles has been an afterthought because he is on the downside of his career. He had a very disappointing 2018 season when he only hit 15 home runs and drove in 63 runs. These numbers are far down from what he usually produces. He has been an All-Star five times in his career and won a Gold Glove four times. He was a very skilled player both offensively and defensively in his prime. However, he is now on the wrong side of 30 and his numbers have fallen off dramatically.

The decreased production of Jones is one of the reasons why it has taken him so long to find a new team. He made his debut in 2006 and has been a star for many years since then. However, it was just announced that Jones has signed a contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks that will pay him $3 million for one year. He was obviously hoping for a multi-year deal. However, teams are much more reluctant to commit long-term to players over the age of 30 nowadays.

The deal with Arizona is not totally complete yet, reports USA Today. Jones will still need to pass his physical. However, this is considered to be just a formality. Jones is not known to have any injury problems at the present time. Therefore, he should not have any problems passing his physical to make the contract official. Jones will be a good fit with a young team in Arizona. He will provide veteran leadership on a team that is looking to rebuild. He will be a good role model for the young players.