When the Dodgers added Manny Ramirez in a trade deadline deal July 31, that left Jones with minimal opportunities. But with the staggering performance by Ramirez (.396 with 17 homers and 53 RBIs in 53 games) and the fine work of fellow outfielders Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, Jones was hardly missed.
Um, Jones was batting in the .150s. Mario Mendoza could have been in the outfield for the Dodgers and Jones wouldn't have been missed.
Jones' collapse started a couple years ago. He truly fell off a cliff in 2008, however, "hitting" .158 with three homers and 14 RBI. The Dodgers finally threw in the towel late last week.
What is the likeliest destination for Jones now? Somebody is going to take a chance on him, after all; the first 10 years of his career combined very good offense with what some argued was all-time-great defense in center field.
His old team, the Braves, may be the most likely landing spot for Jones. The fact that after his release by the Dodgers Jones attended a college basketball game in Atlanta wearing a Braves cap lends credence. But the Braves are said willing to offer only a minor-league contract, despite the fact that the team signing Jones will only have to pay him the MLB minimum (because the Dodgers are still on the hook for $21 million).
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Doctor X -- the 'Baseball Medic' -- is an anonymous U.S. government trauma specialist with a Duke University sports medicine background and more than 20 years experience in emergency medicine. From time to time he considers MLB rumors, events and news reports as they pertain to baseball players' injuries, illnesses and various other disabilities, both on the field and off.
MLB Rumors editor Greg Fieg is a former sports news editor and award-winning writer whose bylines have appeared on the wires of the Associated Press and in numerous publications, including San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio Light, Houston Chronicle and Philadelphia Bulletin. He formerly was posted in various positions on the U.S.-Mexican border with Freedom Newspapers, and was a regular, independent contributor to United Press International.