James Loney
1B FA
Fri 5/10/19 1:18 PM

Loney announced his retirement from baseball Friday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
Loney hit .284/.336/.410 with 108 homers in 11 major-league seasons. He's been out of the big leagues since 2016, spending time in Korea and in the independent Atlantic League.

James Loney
1B FA
Tue 2/5/19 1:20 PM

Loney signed with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Atlantic League on Tuesday as a two-way player, JJ Cooper of Baseball America reports.
EDGE Analysis
Loney was considered by some scouts to be a better pitcher than hitter back when he was drafted in 2002. He went on to have an 11-year career as a first baseman, posting a .284/.336/.410 line at the plate. The 34-year-old has been out of the big leagues since 2016 and hasn't posted an above-average batting line since 2014, but the rise of interest in two-way players could give Loney at least an outside chance at returning to the majors should his arm look good in the Atlantic League.

James Loney
1B FA
Tue 7/18/17 11:43 AM

Loney agreed Tuesday with the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization on a $350,000 contract for the remainder of the season, Jeeho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency reports.
EDGE Analysis
Loney has been out of baseball since late May after he was unable to parlay minor-league contracts he signed earlier this season with the Rangers, Tigers and Braves into a spot on the big-league roster. Since the 33-year-old didn't have the desire to slum it the minors following 11 seasons in the majors, he'll instead head abroad to continue his career. Given his age, it's unlikely that Loney will generate much interest from MLB teams next winter even if he's able to play productively in Korea.

James Loney
1B FA
Mon 5/22/17 4:55 PM

Loney was granted his release by the Braves on Monday.
EDGE Analysis
With the Braves bringing Matt Adams to fill their void at first base, Loney saw the writing on the wall that his services were no longer needed. His vast big-league experience and the .704 OPS he posted with the Mets last season make it hard to believe that he'll have a very hard time finding a new home in free agency.

James Loney
1B FA
Fri 5/19/17 11:17 AM

Loney likely will join Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
It was just a matter of when. The Braves inked Loney to a minors deal Thursday after Freddie Freeman (wrist) was hit by a pitch that will sideline him for at least two months. They feel they can get by with what they have on the big-league roster, though, so Loney will camp out until needed. They'll piece together work at first base with Rio Ruiz and Jace Peterson, who may also share third base until Adonis Garcia (Achilles) returns. That'll likely happen next week.

James Loney
1B FA
Thu 5/18/17 6:28 PM

Loney will report to Triple-A Gwinnett, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
Despite Freddie Freeman landing on the disabled list with a wrist fracture, Loney will have to earn his spot on Atlanta's major-league roster. Loney has yet to perform well at the Triple-A level this season. Prior to joining the Braves, he was a member of the Tigers' organization and played at Triple-A Toledo, where he owned a bleak .229 batting average.

James Loney
1B FA
Thu 5/18/17 4:54 PM

Loney agreed to sign with the Braves on Thursday, Buster Olney of ESPN reports.
EDGE Analysis
This seems to be a direct response to the news that Freddie Freeman (wrist) will be out for at least eight weeks. Loney was with the Rangers during spring training, then spent time with the Tigers during the beginning of the regular season, but he was subsequently released after batting just .229 during his brief stint with the Mud Hens. It's unclear if the Braves intend to ease him back into action or deploy him as their primary first baseman from the get-go, but things should become clearer once he physically joins the team.

James Loney
1B FA
Sun 5/7/17 6:26 PM

Loney was released by the Tigers on Sunday, John Wagner of The Blade reports.
EDGE Analysis
Loney -- who also turned 33 on Sunday -- signed a minor-league deal with the Tigers in mid-April. He never ended up getting any game action in at the minor-league level, however, and is now free to look for work elsewhere with another organization.

James Loney
1B FA
Wed 4/12/17 11:31 AM

Loney signed a minor-league contract with the Tigers on Wednesday.
EDGE Analysis
Loney went through close to a full spring training with the Rangers, but he will need to knock the rust off a bit more at extended spring training before reporting to a full-season affiliate (presumably Triple-A Toledo). The 32-year-old has played at a below-replacement level each of the last two seasons, so it's hard to see him getting a chance without an injury to Miguel Cabrera or Victor Martinez.

James Loney
1B FA
Mon 3/27/17 12:34 PM

Loney was released from his minor league contract with the Rangers on Monday.
EDGE Analysis
Loney, a non-roster invitee, was just 8-for-46 with one home run (.174/.224/.261) through 16 spring games, so it isn't too much of a surprise to see him released. The 32-year-old slashed .265/.307/.397 across 366 plate appearances as the Mets' backup first baseman last year, and he'll look to catch on with another organization where he can hopefully serve a similar role.