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Chipper, Braves Agree On Contract Extension

Jonathan — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:12:10 +0000

Chipper Jones will now have the opportunity to finish his career as it started, as an Atlanta Brave. This morning, the Braves announced that they have come to an agreement on a 3-year contract extension for more than $40 million with an option for a fourth year that would take Chipper through 2013. He will be 41 at that point.

As we expressed earlier in the season, locking up Chipper was an absolute must. Chipper had also continually expressed that he wouldn’t negotiate a contract during the season, so it’s nice to see the front office get this out of the way.

Chipper has been injured a good bit over the past three seasons, averaging playing in only 124 games, but he has also been productive. Over those seasons, he has lead the majors batting .342. Last season, after spending a good bit of the year above the .400 mark, he ended with an impressive .364. Injured or not, he can still produce.

So rest easy, Braves fans. We’re not going to lose Chipper too and we can look forward to him finishing out his career here in Atlanta.

Keeping Chipper In Atlanta

Jonathan — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 05:00:04 +0000

Chipper Jones is entering the final year of his contract with the Atlanta Braves and has made it clear over the past few days that he, without a doubt, wants to spend the entirety of his career with the club. He was selected by the Braves as the first overall pick in the first-year player draft back in 1990. This is the only club that Chipper has ever played for and has repeatedly made it known that he has no desire to go elsewhere.

I think there was little question to any fans that there would be any problems with that happening until a couple of weeks ago with the departure of John Smoltz to the Boston Red Sox. At that point in time, Chipper shared many of the same frustrations as the fans. It’s taken a little bit of time for the emotions to calm down, but with the help of a few pitching signings, everyone is slowly getting back to the business that is baseball and trying to move on with the offseason.

Though approaching his 37th birthday, Jones is the reigning National League batting champion, batting .364 and slugging .574 in the 2008 season. Over the past 3 seasons, he has also led all of Major League Baseball with a .342 batting average. The downside to Chipper’s aging body is his tendency to come down with injuries throughout the season. In the past season, he has played in an average of 124 games and made a collective five trips to the disabled list. Despite this, he remains confident that he will remain productive on the field at the age of 40, and as far as I’m concerned, has done nothing to prove otherwise through the past couple of seasons.

Staying in Atlanta has always been the number one priority for Chipper. In 2006, he agreed to alter his contract and sacrifice up to $15 million in potential earnings for the guarantee that he would be staying in Atlanta at least through the end of the 2008 season. With his production last season, Chipper’s $11 million option for the 2009 season has vested. It has never been completely about the money, but rather the chance to remain and play for the fans that have been with him for his entire career.

Though Frank Wren told Chipper last September that he hoped to work out a contract extension as soon as possible, it’s understandable that the focus of the club has been elsewhere this offseason. With trying to sign new pitching and the potential of adding some power to the lineup, Jones understands that Wren’s primary objectives have been outside of a contract extension. With the season rapidly approaching though, Chipper’s outlook on the process remains the same. He has repeatedly said that he would not negotiate a contract mid-season again due to the amount of distraction that it provides from trying to play baseball. Hopefully the front office and Chipper can get something worked out soon and the focus can shift to the season at hand.

I realize that the Braves may be hesitant to offer Jones an overly extended contract, but Chipper is only looking for a fair-priced, three-year contract from the Braves. I can’t forsee any reason why he has not earned that respect in the eyes of the front office of the club. He is truly a face of the Atlanta Braves and it would be the biggest shame to see him part ways and play for another team. Without a doubt, if the Braves don’t extend and re-sign Chipper’s contract, he would pull huge interest from many other teams who know just how productive he can be despite his age. Losing Smoltz and Chipper in back-to-back seasons is just not an option for Braves fans.

Bobby’s Sticking Around

Jonathan — Fri, 23 May 2008 21:31:54 +0000

It looks like Braves fans will get to see Bobby Cox getting ejected through at least the end of the 2009 season. Today, Frank Wren confirmed that Bobby has been signed to a one-year contract extension. I have a feeling that Bobby will stay on a year-to-year basis until he’s ready to retire. At least for now we don’t have to speculate if this is the last year for the winningest manager in Braves franchise history.

Cox has 1,926 wins for the Braves (2,281 total) and is in his 23rd year as the Braves’ skipper. He had hinted during the offseason that he may consider hanging it up at the end of this season. I, for one, am very happy to see him sticking around. Let’s get the boys back to the playoffs, Bobby!