Andruw Jones Placed On Waivers

Rob Bradford of Massachusett’s Eagle-Tribune writes that Andruw Jones has been placed on waivers by the Braves.  I discovered this via Buster Olney’s blog.  Said Olney:

"In any event, I seriously doubt Jones will be playing for anybody but the Braves, despite the fact that in the next week, he’ll earn the 10-and-5 right to veto any trade. But we’ll soon know if anybody has placed a claim, and whether the Braves are willing to discuss a trade."

Jones makes $13.5MM next season in the last year of his contract.  He’ll turn 30 in the beginning of the ’07 season.  Andruw’s .350 OBP and .514 SLG are right in line with career norms.  Baseball Prospectus expects him to remain at this level until about 2009.  Remember, National League teams would get the first crack at Jones if more than one club puts in a claim.  I could see the Cardinals and Astros putting in claims.  If the Braves can’t make a deal with the team that claimed Jones, they can always just pull him back.

For a good summary of how waiver trades work, consult Steve Phillips’s article from a year ago.