The Reds signed outfielder Jacque Jones and first baseman Daryle Ward to Minor League contracts on Thursday. The deals came with invites to big league Spring Training.
Jones, who spent most of his career with the Twins and Cubs, played 42 games last season combined with the Marlins and Tigers and batted .147. Ward played 89 games for the Cubs last season and batted .216.
Both Jones and Ward are 33, and both are left-handed hitters.
Ward I like, as a lefty off the bench. Jones worries me. He’s in a clear decline, and he seems like exactly the type of player Dusty Baker would love to stick in left field five days a week.
They are minor league invites, so there’s little risk (other than Dusty-related concerns). It will be interesting to see how they look this spring.