"There were times this offseason when Garrett Jones wondered whether he had played his final game with the Pirates.

Jones batted just .243 last season, his lowest average in three years with the team. He played in 10 fewer games, got 169 fewer at-bats and hit five fewer homers than he did in 2010. And, what's worse, Jones is 30 years old and arbitration-eligible, a combination that usually forces a budget-minded team's front office to make hard choices.

On Dec. 12, Jones nervously waited to hear whether the Pirates would tender him an offer or cut him loose. Jones didn't know which way it would go until shortly before the midnight deadline, when general manager Neal Huntington called to say the team would give him a new contract."