Jacque Jones designated for assignment

Jacque Jones designated for assignment
by Danny Knobler
Monday May 05, 2008, 3:21 PM

DETROIT -- The first of the drastic changes has come.

The Tigers have designated Jacque Jones for assignment, and they've purchased the contract of outfielder Matt Joyce from Triple-A Toledo.

Jones had just one hit in his last 29 at-bats, and he was hitting .165 with one home run and five RBIs in 24 games. Joyce was hitting .299 at Toledo, with five homers and 21 RBIs in 28 games.

Jones was acquired from the Chicago Cubs last November, in a trade for Omar Infante. The Tigers saw him as a good left-handed addition to their mostly right-handed lineup, but he didn't hit in spring training and hasn't hit so far during the season.

The Tigers have 10 days in which to either trade or release Jones. They'll certainly try to trade him, but that won't be easy to do.

Joyce is also a left-handed hitter. He's a 23-year-old Floridian, and he was the Tigers' 12th-round pick in the 2005 draft.

Wow. Good.

:joyce: <--- Where's his smilie?

Hey, is this Joyce kid the same player that missed 2nd base in ST?

Hey Joyce, here's a hint: 2nd base is in the same place as it is in AAA.

This is great news. I had a feeling he was going to be out of here soon.

It's actually in the same place it is in little league too

DETROIT -- Left fielder Jacque Jones took the hit Monday from manager Jim Leyland's promised shakeup.

The Tigers designated Jones for assignment and called up outfielder Matt Joyce from Triple-A Toledo.

Jones played in 24 games, batting .165 (13-for-79) with one home run and five RBIs.

Joyce was batting .299 (29x97) with six doubles, a triple, five home runs and 21 RBIs in 28 games for Toledo. He hit safely in eight of his last 10 games with the Mud Hens, batting .389 with seven RBI.

Joyce was a 12th-round draft pick in 2005.

Not surprising, but still sudden.

I forgot who we lost to get him. It was:

Quote :

Jones was acquired during the offseason from the Chicago Cubs for infielder Omar Infante

He was just starting to hit well until he took that tumble into the seats in Copa in the last homestand. I wonder if he hurt himself more than he let on.

05/05/2008 7:28 PM ET
Tigers part ways with struggling Jones
Joyce called up from Toledo as Detroit seeks own turnaround
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

DETROIT -- The Tigers knew Jacque Jones' history of slow starts when they traded for him last fall, and they were willing to take the risk. They couldn't anticipate that most of the lineup would be struggling alongside him.

If Jones heats up for another second-half turnaround, it'll be with another club. The Tigers designated him for assignment, ending his Tigers tenure after little more than a month.

The Tigers brought in Jones last November from the Cubs in exchange for utilityman Omar Infante, who was later dealt to Atlanta. The goal for the Tigers was to add a left-handed bat who could help balance out a predominantly right-handed hitting lineup. However, Jones got off to a slow start, similar to last season in Chicago.

Jones ended the weekend with a .165 average, one home run and five RBIs in 24 games. He was mired in a 1-for-29 slump since April 23 that included an 0-for-10 performance over the weekend at Minnesota, where he began his playing career.

Plus, the power drop that began last season in Chicago followed him into the American League this season. He had just three extra-base hits -- a double, triple and home run, all over a two-day stretch April 22-23 against Texas.

Though Jones atoned for last year's slow start by hitting better than .300 over the season's second half, the Tigers couldn't wait for that to happen again. Detroit headed into Monday with a 14-18 record, one game ahead of the worst in the American League. However, they're also three games out of first place in the AL Central.

"Jacque Jones is not the reason that we're four games under .500," manager Jim Leyland said. "Had he gotten off to a bad start? Yes, he had. But that is totally unfair [to blame him for the team's struggles]. He's been nothing but a class individual. Sometimes your moves just fit this way. It could've been somebody else. It might have been."

Essentially, they swapped one left-handed hitter for another. To take Jones' place on the roster, the Tigers purchased the contract of Matt Joyce from Triple-A Toledo, where he was hitting .299 with six doubles, five home runs and 21 RBIs. He headed into Detroit batting .389 (14-for-36) over his last 10 games.

"Sometimes you say, 'Should we just sit back and let it keep happening, or should we do something to see if we can spur it?'" president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "And this is trying to do something to spur it. Hopefully, it will."

This was also something that was decided in relatively short order. Leyland said he had talked with Jones and Marcus Thames about potential changes in the lineup before the decision was made to drop Jones.

Though Leyland promised "drastic" changes to reporters over the weekend at Minnesota, he said then that there would be no roster changes involved.

"This was told to me today when I came in," Leyland said. "Dave came down, discussed it a little bit, and made the move. This move was not made yesterday."

Technically, the Tigers have 10 days to either trade or release Jones, but that's expected to be a formality.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

So basically we traded Infante for shit!

Watch Jones catch on somewhere and hit for decent average

The "Former Tiger" Effect!

laprimamirala wrote:

The "Former Tiger" Effect!

Isn't that the truth... Just look at what C. Mo did to us in Minnisota, Casey in Boston....

it really is weird!

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

laprimamirala wrote:

The "Former Tiger" Effect!

Isn't that the truth... Just look at what C. Mo did to us in Minnisota, Casey in Boston....

C Mo I agree with.... Casey on the other hand, well, I always liked him. I don't know why we got rid of him in the first place...


watch, grilli will become an amazing pitcher within a few games...

I still like Grilli, still want his shirt, and I dont think we shouldve traded Infante at all, and this Joyce guy is pretty good if you ask me...

I think we need to call Joyce by his first name. Isn't it Matt? Joyce makes him sound either like a girl, or gay.

hard to believe he is doing better than Clete in Toledo!
Clete = .213
Matt = .299

For some reason, Clete's batting average went down in Toledo. Could it be depression in being sent down after the high he had playing for the Tigers. In Detroit he was trying hard to stay on the team. Maybe not getting the nod, to return, will get him going again!

I think Clete is the go-getter we need!

laprimamirala wrote:

I think Clete is the go-getter we need!

But let's give Matt a chance to see what he can do.

He's gotta poop or get off the pot! We need some results...and quick!

05/13/2008 8:20 PM ET
Tigers request waivers for Jones
Finding no trades, club takes final step in releasing outfielder
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

KANSAS CITY -- The Tigers took the next step towards dropping Jacque Jones on Tuesday, when they requested unconditional release waivers on the outfielder.

The Tigers designated Jones for assignment on May 5, ending his Detroit tenure after little more than a month. That gave the club 10 days to either trade or release him, as he had the required amount of service time for the Tigers to prevent being outrighted to the Minors.

Though the Tigers tried to find a match for a deal, nothing came to fruition, despite reported interest from the Marlins and Padres. The Marlins remain a realistic possibility, but if so, he would arrive as a free agent.

Detroit brought in Jones last fall to provide a left-handed bat to the lineup, acquiring him from the Cubs in exchange for utility man Omar Infante. However, Jones got off to another rough start at the plate, and the Tigers' struggles as a team made him the man to go when the club decided to shake up its roster.

Jones batted .165 (13-for-79) with a home run, five RBIs and 18 strikeouts in 24 games.

The waivers are essentially a formality towards releasing him. Assuming no one claims Jones before his waivers expire at 1 p.m. ET on Thursday, the Tigers have authority to release him. He'll make the remainder of his $5 million salary, but a portion of it will be picked up by the Cubs as part of last year's trade. Any team that signs him after he's released will only be required to pay him the minimum salary for the rest of the year.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

05/13/2008 8:20 PM ET
Tigers request waivers for Jones
Finding no trades, club takes final step in releasing outfielder
By Jason Beck / MLB.com

KANSAS CITY -- The Tigers took the next step towards dropping Jacque Jones on Tuesday, when they requested unconditional release waivers on the outfielder.

The Tigers designated Jones for assignment on May 5, ending his Detroit tenure after little more than a month. That gave the club 10 days to either trade or release him, as he had the required amount of service time for the Tigers to prevent being outrighted to the Minors.

Though the Tigers tried to find a match for a deal, nothing came to fruition, despite reported interest from the Marlins and Padres. The Marlins remain a realistic possibility, but if so, he would arrive as a free agent.

Detroit brought in Jones last fall to provide a left-handed bat to the lineup, acquiring him from the Cubs in exchange for utility man Omar Infante. However, Jones got off to another rough start at the plate, and the Tigers' struggles as a team made him the man to go when the club decided to shake up its roster.

Jones batted .165 (13-for-79) with a home run, five RBIs and 18 strikeouts in 24 games.

The waivers are essentially a formality towards releasing him. Assuming no one claims Jones before his waivers expire at 1 p.m. ET on Thursday, the Tigers have authority to release him. He'll make the remainder of his $5 million salary, but a portion of it will be picked up by the Cubs as part of last year's trade. Any team that signs him after he's released will only be required to pay him the minimum salary for the rest of the year.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

The Marlins remain a realistic possibility, but if so, he would arrive as a free agent.

Good gawd no

Well, at least hes outta here...

Monday, May 19, 2008

Sources: Ex-Tiger Jones to sign with Marlins
The Detroit News


Former Tigers outfielder Jacque Jones has reached an agreement to sign with the Florida Marlins, ESPN and Fox Sports are reporting, attributing the information to sources. Jones, 33, was released by the Tigers on May 13 after hitting .165 with one home run in 24 games. His career average is .278. Jones was acquired from the Chicago Cubs in November for infielder Omar Infante.

Watch Jones hit 285 for the Marlins