Chipper may retire if next season disappoints

By David O’Brien

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said he would consider retiring if he has another season in 2010 as frustrating and disappointing as this one has been.

He signed a three-year, $42-million contract extension in March that runs through 2012, but the 37-year-old said he might walk away early if he doesn’t play better than he has this season.

“I’m not going to tolerate the numbers I have right now for very long,” said Jones, who hit .110 with one homer in 22 games before Thursday, sinking his average to .268 with 16 homers and 63 RBIs.

“I’m certainly not going to stick around for a big contract if I’m not having fun and not producing,” said Jones, hitting nearly 100 points lower than his .364 in 2008. “I’m not saying I’m retiring at the end of this year or the end of next year, but if I become an average player, I’m not sticking around.

“I’m not going to hamstring the ballclub with the money I’m making, and I’m not going to be happy being a mediocre player.”

When he signed his extension in March, Jones and Braves general manager Frank Wren said the deal would permit Jones to fulfill his dream of retiring as a Brave. This was not what they had in mind.

“For me at this point, I’m on a year-to-year personal schedule,” Jones said Thursday. “Contract status is not going to dictate how long I play.”

During the 2005-08 seasons, he hit .332 with a 1.015 on-base plus slugging percentage that was higher than sluggers such as Mark Teixeira (.941), Alex Rodriguez (.997) and Manny Ramirez (.989).

He took a .828 OPS into Wednesday’s game, including only .711 in his past 75 games.

Jones doesn’t think he’s too old to hit or play third base, or that switching positions or changing leagues is the answer. He said he’ll work hard on his swing this winter and see what 2010 holds.

“The day I become mediocre on a regular basis, I’m probably going to ride off into the sunset,” he said. “Because I don’t have fun playing the game at the level I’m playing at now.”