The Pittsburgh Pirates made a few roster moves Monday, but one of them popped out at me, Garrett Jones who was designated for assignment.
Jones, 32, was eligible for arbitration for the third time and would have received a raise from his $4.5 million salary in 2013. Incidentally, about $500K more than what the Mets’ Ike Davis was making.
The first baseman hit .233/.289/.419 with 26 doubles, 15 homers and 51 RBI last season, though he was solid the season before when he hit .274/.317/.516 with 27 homers and 86 RBI.
The Pirates made the move as a result of a trade that netted the Bucs outfielder Jaff Decker and right-handed pitcher Miles Mikolas from the Padres for minor leaguer Alex Dickerson. The Pirates needed to clear two roster spots from the 40-man, so Jones was one of the casualties.
Jones has hit righthanded pitching pretty good in his six seasons with the Pirates and his power is legit.
