Jones, Glavine Headline Free Agency List; Clemens Uncertain About 2008

Seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens hasn't decided whether he will pitch again in 2008.

Tom Glavine, 13-8 with a 4.45 ERA this season, turns 42 in March. Photo courtesy: New York Mets

NEW YORK - Nine-time Gold Glove Award-winning center fielder Andruw Jones and 300-game winner Tom Glavine were among the 20 players who filed for free agency Wednesday, but seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens hasn't decided whether he will pitch again in 2008.

Jones, a 12-year veteran who has spent his entire career with Atlanta, will enter the free-agent market after the Braves notified the five-time All-Star they intended to pursue other options rather than attempt to re-sign the 30-year-old slugger to an extension. Jones joins an impressive group of free-agent center fielders that includes Torii Hunter and Aaron Rowand.

Jones, who owns a .263 career batting average, has 368 career home runs and has averaged more than 34 homers and 103 RBIs per season during the last decade. Two years ago, he led the National League with 51 home runs and 128 RBIs and finished second in the Most Valuable Player Award voting. In 2006, Jones belted 41 homers and drove in 129 runs, and this season followed up with 26 homers and 94 RBIs.

Glavine's filing was a formality, as the veteran left-hander is considering whether to return to the New York Mets for a sixth season or pursue other options. The Mets have indicated they would like to have Glavine, 13-8 with a 4.45 ERA this season, back next season. Glavine, 303-199 in a 21-year career, turns 42 in March.

Clemens, playing at Andy Pettitte's charity golf tournament in Deer Park, Texas, on Wednesday, hasn't filed for free agency yet and indicated his status remains uncertain.

"I am retired again, like the last three years that I was retired," Clemens told reporters at Battleground Golf Club.

When asked if he was 99 or 100 percent retired, Clemens said: "That's a good question. I think [Clemens' wife] Deb said this year she is pretty much [for retirement]. I've seen that look [of hers] on that commercial that we did together, that AT&T commercial. You know what, we haven't even discussed it. The key with me is my health and how my body feels, and I ran into a couple of stumbling blocks late [last season] that I tried to deal with."

Debbie Clemens previously indicated her husband was ready to retire.

Nagging injuries limited Clemens, 45, to just 99 innings in 2007, his fewest since he pitched 98 during the 1985 season, his second in the Major Leagues.

The right-hander went 6-6 with a 4.18 ERA during the regular season and lasted just 2 1/3 innings in his lone postseason start, when he allowed three earned runs on four hits in a loss to Cleveland in the American League Division Series.

Among the others who filed for free agency Wednesday were Boston's Eric Gagne, Baltimore's Corey Patterson, Detroit's Kenny Rogers, Florida's Byung-Hyun Kim, Kansas City's Odalis Perez, Ron Villone of the Yankees, San Diego's Mike Cameron, Seattle's Jeff Weaver, Brad Wilkerson of Texas, Cliff Floyd of the Cubs, Mike Lieberthal, Luis Gonzalez and Ramon Martinez of the Dodgers, Rodrigo Lopez and Yorvit Torrealba of the Rockies and Freddy Garcia and Kyle Lohse of the Phillies.

Story by: Jim Molony

Courtesy: MLB.com

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