The Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles' official announcement of the signing of former MLB star Andruw Jones signals the start of a period that will be remembered either for its great success or abject failure.
This isn't the deep-pocketed Yomiuri Giants or Fukuoka Softbank Hawks dropping big money on a big name and letting things fall as they may. For a team like the Eagles, a one-year, ¥300 million investment in a player yet to take a swing in Japan has a certain make-or-break feel to it.
The prevailing question, of course, is how much the 35-year-old Jones has left in the tank. His best baseball is behind him, but that doesn't mean he can't be productive for another few seasons.