Chipper Jones has been an Atlanta Brave all his life. Ending his career elsewhere (aka "Getting Smoltzed") would be a bit of a black eye for the Braves organization.So it's good news for Atlanta fans that the third baseman and the club are reportedly close to an extension that would allow Jones to retire a Brave, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
"We're talking and moving closer to getting something done," Braves general manager Frank Wren said.Word on the street is that it's a three-year deal, although money hasn't been publicly mentioned yet. And while this would be an opportune time to rant about the necessity of Wren making sure he locked up one of the most popular players in the history of the Braves, the truth is that there is little Wren's done so far this year to warrant criticism, the outfield holes notwithstanding.
While Wren remained vague about the progress of these talks, it's believed that this extension would provide Jones the opportunity to continue playing in Atlanta through his 41st birthday.
Jones, who has been a Brave for 18 years, recently expressed unhappiness with the organization for letting John Smoltz walk, and he had every right to. But Wren appears to be making the steps towards locking in Jones for the rest of his career, and even if it results in a year of mediocre production from Jones, the fan goodwill he'll reap will make it sufficiently worth the gamble.
