Adam Jones is underappreciated | Lucas

One team is going to get a very undervalued baseball player in the last couple of weeks of the summer — if the price is right. Over the last 13 years, Adam Jones (no, not the NFL’s controversial “Pac-Man” Jones) has been one of the most underrated and underappreciated players and people in Major League Baseball. A San Diego…

One team is going to get a very undervalued baseball player in the last couple of weeks of the summer — if the price is right.

Over the last 13 years, Adam Jones (no, not the NFL’s controversial “Pac-Man” Jones) has been one of the most underrated and underappreciated players and people in Major League Baseball.

A San Diego native, Jones entered the league in 2006 with the Seattle Mariners.

Jones joined the Baltimore Orioles in 2008 in a trade focused on Erik Bedard, a promising young left-handed pitcher who would be injured for more than half his four-year tenure in Seattle. Jones, on the other hand, has been a model of consistency. He has made five All-Star teams in over a decade with the Orioles, and helped guide the team to three playoff appearances in a five-year span. The high point came in 2014 with the team’s first division championship and league championship series appearance in 17 years, before a sweep at the hands of the Kansas City Royals.

No, Jones has not won an MVP award. No, he has not won a pennant, let alone a World Championship. Yet, Adam Jones has played a stellar center field at Camden Yards for over 10 years, and has over 250 home runs for his career.

Jones has most proven his love for his adopted city and his organization by utilizing a no-trade clause. Even though he grew up 3,000 miles away, and has never reached a World Series, he has told his team not to trade him — until now.

Yesterday, Jones passed through revocable trade waivers unclaimed, deeming him eligible for a trade. An MLB.com article says the two likeliest spots are the Yankees and the Indians, both of which should make the postseason. The Yankees seem like a bit of a stretch considering general manager Brian Cashman will try to keep the team under the cap and avoid the luxury tax. However, the Bronx would be an ideal spot for Jones, since it is only a three-hour drive and two-hour Acela ride from Baltimore. In addition, the injuries to Aaron Judge and Clint Frazier would allow Jones significant playing time and a shot at a championship.

If the Indians were to acquire Jones, he would become a valuable asset to a team with the longest active World Series drought.

Jones has spent more than a decade in the shadows of players with bigger personalities and better ball clubs, but he may finally have the opportunity to play at a bigger level, and achieve the glory he so rightly deserves.