Orioles ready to show Jones the money?

Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me two through eight times, shame on Angelos. Reports have surfaced today that the Orioles are in serious talks with the agent for Orioles center fielder Adam Jones.

Is the much-maligned owner finally ready to open his checkbook for a promising young player instead of an aging star? Our list of big-money players over the last decade-plus reads like a who's who of has beens, including Albert Belle, Vladimir Guerrero and Rafael Palmeiro (the second coming). Perhaps more troubling is the money we didn't spend on Mike Mussina in the late 1990's, or on funding the scouting and development departments over the last 15 years.

I don't think I will be alone in boycotting Angelos's life if Adam Jones ends up in pinstripes; so, what's our move?

 Jones is that mystical five-tool player. He hits for contact, hits for power, runs quickly, fields well and has a deadly accurate arm. If I had to name the only impressive, headline move the Orioles have made in the millennium, it would be the trade we executed with the Seattle Mariners to get Adam Jones.

The Orioles' official website is reporting that Jones's contract will easily surpass the two largest deals in franchise history--Nick Markakis' six-year, $66.1 million extension and Miguel Tejada's six-year, $72 million contract in 2004 (add the latter to Angelos' hall of shame). Whatever Jones gets, he deserves every penny. He's the best player on our team--followed closely by Matt Weiters once his bat heats up this year--and he represents a glimmer of hope for the franchise. He represents the notion that the Orioles aren't destined to make terrible decisions and lopsided trades for the rest of time.

All statistics courtesy of ESPN

Since he arrived in 2008, his hitting has steadily improved in almost every area, including hits, home runs, RBIs, slugging and batting average. And he's 26. Unlike players in the NFL, whose skills generally begin to decline at age 30, MLB players usually don't hit their prime until their late-20's and good players continue to produce into their mid- to late- 30s. Jones is also not too shabby in center field, either, carrying a .984 career fielding percentage and 47 outfield assists.

I don't expect to see Jones's contract reach Albert Pujols/ Alex Rodriguez-levels of insanity, but I would suggest the team tries to give him between six and eight years and somewhere close to $100 million. We'll know very soon.