Baseball: Dodgers land Jones
Gold Glove center fielder Andruw Jones is set to give the Los Angeles Dodgers the dangerous slugger they sorely need.
Now, they hope he bounces back from a miserable season in which he hit .222.
Jones and the Dodgers reached a preliminary agreement on a $36.2 million, two-year contract late Wednesday as action picked up on the final night of the winter meetings at Nashville, Tenn.
The deal came hours after Detroit and Florida finished their blockbuster trade that sent All-Stars Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to the Tigers.
Also, outfielder Jose Guillen’s $36 million, three-year contract with Kansas City was finalized. Guillen and Baltimore’s Jay Gibbons, however, learned they would be suspended for the first 15 days of next season for violating baseball’s drug policy.
The penalties are an indication how the sport might treat players named in the Mitchell report, which could be released next week.
Welcome to the circus
From Patty Hearst to the Jonestown Massacre, the Phillip Burton Federal Building in San Francisco has hosted its share of high-profile trials over the years. But they may all pale in comparison to the spectacle of the Barry Bonds perjury case.
More than 200 journalists and members of the public are expected to crowd the courtroom and a second overflow room today for a brief hearing that marks the home run king’s first public appearance since he was indicted Nov. 15 on four counts of perjury and one of obstruction of justice. The charges could mean prison time if Bonds is convicted.
Notes
San Diego offered a one-year contract to left fielder Milton Bradley, who tore a knee ligament late last season when his manager spun him to the ground while trying to keep him from going after an umpire. … Backup infielder Aaron Boone agreed to a one-year, $1 million contract with Washington, which also avoided arbitration with outfielders Wily Mo Pena and Ryan Langerhans. … New Dodgers manager Joe Torre had knee replacement surgery this week. … Arizona and infielder Augie Ojeda avoided salary arbitration, agreeing to a one-year contract worth $550,000.