The Baltimore Orioles were active at the non-waiver trade deadline, trading six players in multiple trades over the course of a couple of weeks.
But one player remained on the roster – veteran center fielder Adam Jones.
Jones, who has spent the last 11 seasons in Baltimore, could have gone to a contender like the rest of his former teammates, but he vetoed a proposed trade to the Philadelphia Phillies, who are in first place in the National League E
Why?
“When players walked out years ago and walked the picket lines and all that stuff, they did all that for reasons right now,” Jones said after the O’s 6-3 loss to the New York Yankees. “I earned this, and it’s my decision, thank you.
“Here’s the thing about society. Everyone thinks they know what’s best for the next person. If someone wants to pay all my bills, trust me, they can tell me what to so. Until then, shut the hell up.”
Jones has 10-and-5 rights (10 years of MLB service time, including five years with one club) which means he would have to waive his no-trade clause to be moved.
He opted to stay and says he’s content with his decision, though it means he will likely finish the season with the Orioles, who own the worst record (32-75) in baseball.
“A hundred percent. I made the decision,” Jones said. “It’s my decision. It’s my life. There’s the thing. I’m not going around telling other people and dictating other people’s lives. Why do they do that with us? So, no one’s going to tell me what to do. I earned every single bit of it. People before me fought vigorously to get rights like this, and I can invoke them.”
The Orioles are officially in the rebuilding stage. Will Jones, who becomes a free agent at the end of the season, be part of the Orioles’ future plans?
“I don’t know the answer to that question,” executive vice president Dan Duquette said Tuesday. “But what I do know is that the club is going to start auditioning some young players for full-time jobs for the future. We’ll have to address those questions in the offseason.”
Does Jones want to be around for that?
“I can’t think that far,” Jones said. “I’m going to weigh every option I have, just like I did this time. There’s still another month in the waiver wire and that kind of stuff, so you never know. But it’s my decision. I appreciate everybody with their two cents. I didn’t ask for it. But I greatly appreciate everybody with how they think Adam Jones should do his career. Thank you, for wasting your own personal time.”
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