Braves, Chipper Jones finalize contract extension

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — Chipper Jones said he thought during the winter about making this his final season, about calling it a career and heading for the ranch. But after signing a three-year, $42 million contract extension with the Braves on Tuesday, he could laugh about that retirement talk.

The 2008 major league batting champion, who turns 37 next month, will get a chance to fulfill a dream of playing his entire career with the Braves after signing what his agent called a “fair market contract” that runs through 2012 and includes a vesting option for 2013.

“I just can’t see myself at 37, sitting around doing nothing,” Jones said, smiling after divulging that he’d discussed retirement with his wife. “Sharon probably would have booted me out of the house the first April.

“It wasn’t something that was talked about seriously. It was brought up, because I wasn’t sure I wanted to invest three or four [more] years of doing all this. But when the Braves come with an offer like they did, that and my desire to compete overrode everything else.”

The third baseman hit a career-best, major league-leading .364 last season, with 22 home runs and 75 RBIs in 128 games, his fifth consecutive season with fewer than 140 games played due to injuries.

The Braves considered the health issues and age before making such a big commitment. They built into the contract incentives and escalators that could push his total pay to $61 million over four years.

Jones makes $10 million this season in an option year, then could have become a free agent.

General manager Frank Wren said the Braves discussed with Jones the need to incorporate more stretching and other preventive measures into his daily routine going forward. Jones was receptive.

“As an organization, we couldn’t be more thrilled,” Wren said of the contract extension. “It’s something that’s been on his mind for a while. He really wanted to finish his career with Atlanta, and we wanted to see it happen. It’s hard to say how much he means to the organization.”

Jones, who started out as a shortstop and played a few seasons in left field, has a .310 career average and 408 homers, the only switch-hitter in history with at least a .300 average and 300 homers.

He ranks second in average among switch-hitters (Frankie Fritsch, .316) and third in homers behind Mickey Mantle (536) and Eddie Murray (504). In 2008, he passed Dale Murphy as the all-time Atlanta home-run leader (Hank Aaron hit more than half of his playing for the Milwaukee Braves).

Bobby Cox was the Braves’ GM when they made Jones the first overall selection in the 1990 draft, and has been the only manager Jones has had in his major league career.

“I’ve spent all my time with Chipper since he signed,” Cox said. “We certainly wanted him back to finish his career with the Braves. I don’t know if I’m going to be back for three or four years, but the good thing is, the organization knows Chipper is going to be back.”

Jones’ longtime agent and friend since childhood, B.B. Abbott, said there was always the possibility that Jones’ body could break down during the contract and force him and the Braves to consider other options, such as a trade to an American League team where he could be a designated hitter.

But that’s not what Jones is thinking about now. He earned his sixth National league All-Star selection last season, and feels like he’s still got “multiple” highly productive seasons left.

He said seeing Braves prospects Tommy Hanson, Jordan Schafer, Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman in spring training convinced him the Braves aren’t far from being a steady contender again.

“This organization is coming back,” said Jones, adding that he’d be disappointed if he went to another team and saw the Braves return to the top without him. “I want to be a part of that.”

His extension includes a $3 million signing bonus and salaries of $13 million each season during 2010-2012, with a $9 million option for 2013 that vests if he plays 123 games in 2012 or averages 127 games in 2011-2012.

He could earn $1.5 million each season in games-played incentives — $750,000 for 135 games, $750,000 for 140 — and up to $4 million in escalators for the option year. If his option doesn’t vest, the team has a $7 million option.

Last year was the fifth consecutive season Jones was limited to fewer than 140 games because of injuries, but he’s continued to be one of baseball’s top hitters, when healthy.

Jones had eight consecutive seasons with at least 100 RBIs from 1996 through 2003, batting .313 while averaging 32 homers, 107 RBIs and 157 regular-season games per year in that span.

In five seasons since, he’s hit .314 and averaged just below 26 homers, 86 RBIs and 124 games.

Despite his string of injuries in recent seasons, Jones has enjoyed an unusual late-career hitting surge that has featured his best three-year stretch in some pertinent statistical categories.

Since 2006, his .342 average is the best among major league qualifiers, ahead of Albert Pujols (.338). In the summer of 2006, Jones began a torrid hitting stretch that has gone nearly unabated.

Since June 24, 2006, he has a .356 average, .448 on-base percentage and .624 slugging percentage in 313 games, for a 1.072 on base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS) with 70 homers and 228 RBIs.

In that period, Pujols hit .341 with a 1.050 OPS, albeit with 92 homers and 290 RBIs in 393 games.

Manny Ramirez hit .320 with a .985 OPS in 348 games in that period, with 72 homers and 260 RBIs. And Mark Teixeira hit .303 with a .964 OPS in 376 games, with 89 homers and 295 RBIs.