In a year marketed to the Orioles fan base as one to honor the past legends, it seems only fitting that one should be blossoming before the city’s very eyes. Adam Jones, acquired from Seattle for Erik Bedard in 2008, is finally becoming the player the Orioles’ front office hoped he could become. As of Wednesday, he was hitting .311/.357/.601 with 14 home runs and 29 RBIs. Were it not for Josh Hamilton’s ridiculous pace (.379/.429/.758 with 18 home runs and 49 RBIs) Jones would and should be in the early MVP conversation.
Friday morning the Orioles published a report saying that the club is close to signing Jones to a club record contract extension. According to Foxsports.com, the deal should easily surpass Miguel Tejada’s six-year, $72 million contract, which was signed in 2004.
By trying to lock down Jones for the future, the Oriole’s are showing a renewed dedication to winning baseball. This is not a past-his-prime Vladimir Guerrero or a finger-waving Rafael Palmeiro. This is a young player who has a chance to join some of the Oriole greats and be a staple of the team for years to come.
Now after this deal gets done, get Scott Boras on the phone and start trying to extend Matt Wieters.
Blog from Max Grossfeld
Chris
I concur. Outstanding job in opining on what”s needed now to build a long overdue winner.
· 11/12/2019