Andruw Jones close to signing with Rangers
Released last month by the Los Angeles Dodgers, outfielder Andruw Jones appears headed for a minor-league contract with the Texas Rangers, according to baseball sources.
Jones, who will be 32 in April, is attempting to revive his career after a disastrous season in Los Angeles. He reportedly turned down an invitation from the Yankees to attend spring training as a non-roster player, but sees opportunity in Texas.
Rangers president Nolan Ryan has said Josh Hamilton should move from center field to right field, where his body would not take the beating it did late last season, when he admittedly wore down. If Jones were to become fitter and regain his batting stroke, he could provide relief to Hamilton. Though, based on the results from his last season-and-a-half, Jones has a long way to go to become a productive big-league hitter again.
As a way out of town, Jones agreed to defer much of the $21.1 million he is still owed by the Dodgers, or what was left of the two-year, $32-million contract signed last winter.
