Five years later, Jacque Jones returns to Twins

Sometimes in life, the joke is on you. Two months ago I poked a little fun at Jacque Jones attending the winter meetings in search of a job, suggesting that he was washed up and would “be lucky to secure a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training.” It turns out I was absolutely right, because this afternoon Jones signed a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training. And it turns out he’ll be in camp with my favorite team, reuniting with the Twins five years after departing as a free agent and three seasons after last being a productive hitter. Not so funny now, huh? While the Twins could certainly use a backup outfielder capable of handling center field, Jones hasn’t played the position regularly since 2007, will be 35 years old in April, batted .147 in 42 games for the Tigers and Marlins in 2008, and spent last season playing for the independent league Newark Bears after getting released by the Reds in spring training. Hopefully he likes Rochester, New York.