David O’Brien is reporting that Chipper Jones would like to play at least four more years and that he would prefer to spend those years in a Braves uniform.
"I don’t think there’s any reason I can’t play through 40," he said, "long as I don’t let my body go, which is not going to happen. I’m too active year-round to let my body go.
"My desire to stick around and play four, five, six more years is strong. I want to accomplish some things here, put up some numbers here as long as the Braves want me."
The Braves have an option that would pay Jones $8-11MM in ’09 depending on performance, although it is expected that the number would be closer to $11MM.
O’Brien believes that if Jones is healthy, he will command far more on the open market after the ’09 season, and wonders if a team like the Rangers or the Astros (Jones lives in Texas in the off-season) might pursue Jones with a huge contract offer. However, Jones emphasized that he is not interested in the biggest deal and would prefer to remain with the Braves.
Cork Gaines writes for Rays Index and can be reached here .
