June 10: Jones indeed cleared waivers and has been sent outright to Triple-A Toledo, per an announcement from the Tigers. He’ll remain with the organization and collect the remainder of this year’s salary but no longer occupy a spot on the 40-man roster. As a player with three-plus years of service who has been outrighted from the 40-man roster, he’ll be able to become a free agent at season’s end (unless he’s selected back to Majors and finishes the year on their 40-man roster).
June 6: The Tigers announced they’re selecting the contract of right-hander Jason Foley from Triple-A Toledo. To create 40-man roster space, they’re designating outfielder JaCoby Jones for assignment. Additionally, righty Michael Fulmer has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 3, with a right shoulder strain. As expected, José Ureña has been reinstated from the IL to take Fulmer’s place on the active roster.
Jones’ designation registers as something of a surprise. Acquired from the Pirates at the 2015 trade deadline in exchange for Joakim Soria, Jones has appeared in the big leagues with Detroit in each of the past six seasons. He’s been a fairly regular contributor between 2018-21, starting about half the team’s games between center and left field. Altogether, Jones managed just a .219/.282/.389 (78 wRC+) mark in that time, albeit with intermittent flashes of enough power and defensive upside to keep the Detroit front office intrigued.
Across the board, advanced defensive metrics lauded Jones’ glovework between center and left field in 2018. The Tigers gambled he could play a full-time center field after that season, although the metrics all suggest he dropped off rather significantly in that regard between 2019-21. Jones has proven similarly inconsistent on the other side of the ball. Despite always-lofty strikeout rates, the right-handed hitter has occasionally shown enough thump to be a productive hitter. That was particularly true in 2020, when Jones hit .268/.333/.515 across 108 plate appearances before suffering a season-ending hand fracture.
For as strong as Jones began the 2020 season, he opened 2021 with an absolutely dismal start at the plate. He hit just .170/.210/.250 over 105 trips to the dish, leading the Tigers to demote him to Toledo. Things haven’t gotten much better with the Mud Hens, as Jones is off to a .205/.255/.364 start in the minors, where he’s struck out in 18 of his first 47 plate appearances.
The Tigers will now have a week to trade Jones or place him on outright waivers. Any team that claims Jones off waivers would assume the remaining portion of his $2.65MM salary (approximately $1.7MM). Given Jones’ immense struggles this season, it seems unlikely another club will put in a claim, although it’s at least possible the Tigers could agree to pay down some of that money in exchange for a prospect if a rival team has interest in acquiring Jones via a small trade.
The more probable outcome is that Jones will clear waivers and be sent outright to Toledo. As a player with between three and five years of MLB service time, Jones technically has the right to refuse a minor league assignment and elect free agency. Doing so, however, would require forfeiting the remainder of his guaranteed salary, so Jones would almost certainly accept an outright assignment and look to play his way back to Detroit at some point this season.
Foley, a 25-year-old reliever, is now in line to make his major league debut. In their writeup of the Tigers farm system, Eric Longenhagen and Kevin Goldstein of FanGraphs note that Foley works in the 96-99 MPH range with his fastball. Longenhagen and Goldstein call Foley a potential “foundational piece of the Tigers bullpen,” but note that his relatively advanced age and injury history, including a 2018 Tommy John surgery, add some risk to the profile. Foley has thrown ten innings of four-run ball with ten strikeouts and four walks at Triple-A this season, his first crack at the minors’ highest level.
Jones will definitely get picked up. He has been a poster child for “potential” with excellent defense and good speed but his bat, PED suspension, and attitude are huge obstacles to a starting job.
Was this alledged PED suspension with the Pirates? I know he did not have one with Detroit.
He was suspended for PED’s in November 2015, just months after the Pirates had traded him to Detroit.
He was never suspended for PEDs.
He was suspended for weed back when you could still get suspended for such a thing.
That’s right, I should have done a bit more reading. But yeah, he was given a 50-game suspension that November.
That should give him the motivation he needs to return to the Tigers. Weed is still Illegal in Ohio.
He won’t get picked up. Not with that salary. His terrible hitting followed him to Toledo when he was demoted last month.
Actually glad to see this happen. I do agree about the attitude, though. It always seemed to me that he thought he was way better than he actually is, and he certainly wasn’t putting up stellar numbers at any point. Not to mention he seemed like a wannabe rapper. Lol
There should also be a few more cuts coming soon, I hope.
Now, if we can only get someone to move Miggy down in the lineup. There is no way a sub 200 hitting guy should be in 3 or 4 spot. Miggy is just embarrassing himself.
You are embarrassing for yourself calling a grown man “Miggy”.
What an ignorant and ill informed comment. Miggy has been his nickname for years. You should be embarrassed speaking out of school in such fashion.
Its like only if baseball reference provided us with some sort of a section, perhaps called nicknames, were we could find out what Miguel’s nickname is.
Oh wait there is… and it’s Miggy. Just like any other well liked fella named Miguel living in the US.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cabremi01.shtml
I just say I feel there a decent chance he gets picked up because I’ve read some notes about the Yankees or Mets looking at him as a trade target.
Teams always are willing to take a flyer on a dude with speed and (gasp) “potential” …… at his age, I’m not sure he counts as “potential”.
The Cats now have so many more options.
As far as superstar potential, nobody sees Jones as a bigger superstar than Jones.
Jones should have been utilized by the Tigers as a “Swiss Army Knife” type of player when they acquired him. I saw him play at LSU, and that is how he was most successful, playing around the infield and outfield. His bat plays well in that capacity. I feel like somebody will take a flier on him.
Unfortunate for Jones, but he is not a part of the long term future. We’ll see if he gets picked up, but my bet is that he clears waivers. His lack of offense makes it hard to give him a 40 man spot.
He has 2 options, but also earns about 2.6M, which is about 1.9M too much. Can’t see anybody paying that this year, much less give a prospect.
Preach!
NOW I HAVE 7 PLAYERS ON MY FANTASY IL
Try 12
All the reasons listed above, about why he will pass thru waivers and remain in their system, may very well be why he was designated. Detroit has a 40 full of talent, and every player getting designated has a very good chance of being claimed. Holland might have been an option, but then you still have to replace Holland.
This move was a long time coming, and given the nearly slam dunk nature of retaining him in Toledo, it was an easy was to clear a space on the 40.
Jones has been plagued by injuries for most of his career, but it’s really his inconsistency that has been so frustrating. Even at his best, however, he was still among the least talented tier of MLB outfielders.
Sounds like change of scenery Kingery swap for the Phillies when Scotty comes off the IL to me .
Let’s do it!
Kingery is owed a pile of money still. Nobody wants him.
This should’ve happened two years ago.
You misspelled four
It’s a sound decision. Expect Foley to make a lot of noise.
It’s gotta be so irritating to be a minor league player who does reasonably well and never gets a shot while some of these guys with “the tools” or “potential” or lord knows what else get endless chances to fail and keep doing so.
And they make millions to keep failing…..
Yankees, Mets, Angels, White Sox, even Pirates and Indians are Outfield needy teams. Someone should at least give him a look even if they have to stash him away at AAA to do it
If Jones was worth cutting, can Mazara be far behind. At least Jones could be a defensive replacement or pinch runner. Mazara has no power, no speed and is barely adequate in the OF.
I agree. The Nomar Mazara is a perfect example of the type of acquisition I’ve been criticizing Tiger philosophy for. The Tigers assume all the cost and risk to rejuvenate the player’s career. If the player does well, he’s not part of the team’s long term plan; he’s traded for prospects. MOST of these players don’t succeed but ALL of them do take development resources away from the young players they should be developing.
And they have little trade value as BigAl refuses.to.insist there be a team option for additional years. Seems to.me it would.be requisite as the Tigers are giving that player an MLB showcase opportunity…. apparently for absolutely nothing in return.
Is someone blackmailing BigAl? Some of the stuff he does.makes.no sense whatsoever!
This all could have.been avoided had they.just hired me in the first place……
This shouldn’t be a surprise. A constant truism in baseball is that guys with slick gloves and speed but can’t hit are a dime a dozen. Jones is the latest example. On the other hand, a guy might be slow and a defensive liability, but if he can hit, he will always have a job. See Nick Castellanos.
Nick is “unplayable” in the field. Well, that’s what the people who don’t watch the game said. Look now… Castellanos has become a better fielder than Jones. Castellanos is top 5 in range for RF in the NL… Not only is he not a DH… he plays RF which is more difficult than LF. But hey… why mess with a really cool story. LOL
LOL
They never questioned his arm strength so RF was never rules out.
Along with Jones, it’s time for the Tigers to say goodbye to, or at least we can do better than, Daniel Norris, Niko Goodrum, Willi Castro, and Derek Holland.
Jones turned 29 in May and has an OPS+ of 73 in 1.195 MLB plate appearances. Just 72 walks and 389 strikeouts. He’s strictly a minor league depth piece at this point. Given the shortage of quality CFs in today’s MLB, it’s pretty damning that he can’t stick with the Tigers. At his age, there’s probably no potential to salvage.
A little surprising no one was willing to take a flier on him, especially after the Indians were able to trade Jake Bauers. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jones back up in Detroit before long
The problem is Jones’ salary ($2.65 mill.) and arb status. A team isn’t going to pay that rate for a strikeout-prone sub-.200 hitter and then have to give him a raise next winter or lose him. He’ll have to be exposed to waivers next winter (unless the Tigers put him back on the 40-man) and a team could sign him to a minor-league contract or whatever they could get him for.
In two seasons at A and AA ball he struck out over 300 times. I’m pretty sure major leaguers pitchers would have been even more successful against him.
At some point, one has think teams will begin to value contact in the minors and teach power later. There is just something so wrong with the current emphasis on home runs. Meanwhile, Daza in Colorado could win a batting title except he won’t get enough at bats.