Andruw Jones

The New York Yankees are getting close to an agreement on a one-year contract with Andruw Jones, according to Tim Brown via Twitter.

After just a few days being told to sign Rafael Soriano to a three-year, $35 million deal by the owners, the Steinbrenners, general manager Brian Cashman has some good news after losing their first-round pick this upcoming draft. 

With Jones, they finally get a good fourth outfielder that can play all three outfield positions and give regular starters some rests. 

Via Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports:

"Y! source: Andruw Jones nearing a one-year deal with Yankees. Not done yet, however."

Via Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated:

"Yankees step up pursuit of Andruw Jones. Rays, several others in mix. [Johnny Damon] could be possibility or either team also."

If you asked me three years ago where Andruw Jones would be in 2011, I would rattle off a thousand different answers before settling on "A Major League baseball field."

Literally, 1,000 different answers. Gas station attendant. Universal Studios tour guide. Dave & Buster's skee ball maintenance man. Grifter. Anything but a big-league ballplayer.

The latest name spinning on the pinstripe rumor mill is five-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner Andruw Jones.
 
Don’t get excited just yet Yankee fans, as Jones is far cry from the star he once was as an Atlanta Brave.
 
Currently, Jones is a 33-year-old, washed-up center-fielder who sat atop the most elite of hitters list from 1997-2007.
 

While Adrian Beltre is the last big name free agent off the market, that doesn’t mean all the talent is gone. There are still a good number of players on the market that could help a team this season. As it stands now, teams are scrambling to try and address their needs before the available talent pool has dried up.

Some teams will get healthier than others, other teams will suddenly have more to spend, and it could lead to some players in some interesting places. Here is a look at some of the latest rumors involving potential baseball free agent signings. 

Carl Crawford, Cliff Lee and Jayson Werth have grabbed all the headlines with their lucrative nine-figure contracts, but many of this off-seasons free agents remain unsigned.

For some players like Adrian Beltre and Rafael Soriano, their big day is a foregone conclusion, but others won’t be so lucky. Whether due to age or declining skills, many players may have to wait until Spring Training to sign a contract, that is, if they can find work.

With that in mind, let’s examine 15 players who could have to wait until March before finding a new home for the season.

The MLB Hot Stove is in full swing, and a number of significant moves have already been made at the Winter Meetings. That said, there will still be plenty more action before the winter is over, as a number of teams still have glaring needs on their roster.

Looking to the National League, the Nationals already made a splash signing Jayson Werth, but who will be the next NL team to pull the trigger on a big signing?

You know, it wasn't that long ago that Andruw Jones was ruling the NL East alongside his buddy Chipper Jones (no relation).

Andruw played 11 full seasons from 1997-2007 with the Braves after getting a call-up late in the 1996 for the Braves' playoff push.

In seven of those 11 full seasons, Andruw eclipsed the 30-plus home run mark. Once he hit 41 and another time 51. Andruw was, no doubt, a slugger.

Over the last several years, the Los Angeles Dodgers' management team of owner Frank McCourt and general manager Ned Colletti have utilized the deferred contract option as a tactic to bring in numerous big name players with highly valued contracts—without paying much up front.

Looking back at several of the players who were still part of the Dodgers payroll in 2010, and who will be receiving paychecks from McCourt into the future, there's no doubt that many of the deals have failed miserably.