We received the filing numbers for Neil Walker and James McDonald about three hours ago, but haven’t heard anything yet on Garrett Jones. Tom Singer of MLB.com wrote the following:
However, indications were strong that the club had reached an agreement with Jones and was merely working through some necessary preliminaries before making it official. Of all the players who remained unsigned, Jones’ name was the only one to not appear on a list of players who exchanged figures with their clubs.
I checked the CBS Sports list produced by Jon Heyman (who seemed to have every contract detail today). Jones didn’t appear at all in the article for filing numbers. I didn’t think to check the article for settlements. When I did, I found this:
Garrett Jones, 1B/OF, Pirates: Agreed to terms
So it looks like Jones and the Pirates have avoided arbitration.
UPDATE 11:31 PM: The Associated Press is reporting on ESPN that Jones agreed to a deal worth $4.5 M. If correct, that would be $100 K more than his projected arbitration figure.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
Just in time for more trade rumors. Tom Singer has rumor that Bucs still want Jose Iglesias and Sox want lefty 1B/OF.
Thoughts on who Bucs could expect back in addition to Iglesias?
Tim: What a steal this guy has been for the Pirates. His rankings offensively among 1B in the Majors –
Batting Average – .274, # 7
Doubles – 28, # 11
Home Runs – 27, # 8
RBI’s – 86, # 9
AB’s – 475, # 20
Jones .274/.317 OBP/.516 Slg/.832 OPS $4.5 mil
LaRoche .271/.343 OBP/.510 Slg/.853 OPS $10 mil
Hart .270/.334 OBP/.507 Slg/.841 OPS $10 mil
Great signing. Now Neil Walker long term 5 Years $32.8 mil, + 2 Club Option Years.
Let us hope Jones will have another productive season in 2013. The Pirates will need it for the team to break the streak.