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Dodgers Pay Andruw Jones To Go Away

By Kurt Helin

| Saturday, Jan 3, 2009 | Updated 9:28 AM PST

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Andruw Jones will swing and miss for a new team next season.

The one-year experiment of Andruw Jones as a Dodger has mercifully come to a end.

The Dodgers and Jones reached a deal to spread the money owed Jones over six years. As part of that, the Dodgers will soon trade or outright release the outfielder who hit .158 last season.

Jones is owed about $21.1 million from a back-loaded two-year contract. Instead of paying that total amount this year, the agreement spreads out the Dodgers' payments for as many as six years. The amount deferred could be as much as $12 million.

First things first, the Dodgers are better off without Jones and going with Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, not sitting their good young players for the overpaid free agent on the downside of his career. The plan is to use the money saved to sign some free agents. Like a leftfielder who wears dreadlocks. Or maybe a starting pitcher, that would be nice, too.