Published on: 10/02/07
The circus (catch) has left town: Andruw Jones' career with the Atlanta Braves is over.
Braves general manager John Schuerholz told the center fielder Tuesday the Braves won't re-sign him, because they can't meet 'top tier' contract free-agent expectations expressed by Jones' representative, Scott Boras.
Gold Glove winner who hit 368 homers in just over 11 seasons with Atlanta. "But it just doesn't work for us. ... Andruw won't fit on our team. We have to use our assets in the most effective way."
Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said: "It's a sad day for the Braves. Certainly defensively, we’ve probably seen the best there is. If there's someone better than Andruw, I can't imagine it and certainly haven't seen it. But this is the business of baseball, and we have to swallow hard and move on."
The timing of the announcement by Schuerholz surprised Chipper and other Braves.
"I thought they'd at least give it a week after the season, to let things rest," said right fielder Jeff Francoeur, who spoke to Andruw Jones about the decision Tuesday. "It's weird to think he won't be with us next year, when you think about what a great teammate, what a fun guy he was."
The Braves might raise their $84 million payroll slightly, but about $65 million will go to Chipper Jones, first baseman Mark Teixeira, and pitchers Tim Hudson, John Smoltz and Mike Hampton.
http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sport ... _1002.html
