Jones on Markakis: "You lose a brother" (updated)

Adam Jones has shared the Orioles outfield with Nick Markakis for the last seven seasons. He looks to his left and sees more than just a teammate. He sees a friend.

It's going to be different next year.

Jones spoke to Markakis before news broke yesterday that the longest-tenured Oriole had agreed to a four-year, $44 million contract with the Braves.

"It's business," Jones said. "That's the first thing. It's the reality of that, what it boils down to. It's a business, but hey, Nick is my friend and teammate, but he's going to go and do something good for himself and his family. I don't fault him one bit and I'm glad it's doing what he's doing. He made a great business decision for himself and his family.

"He's not my teammate anymore, but we'll remain friends for the rest of our lives."

Here's more from Jones:

On what happened during negotiations: "I don't know what was going day to day. That's on his agent. I don't know how that works. My agent did my thing. But Nick is a pillar. It's not just that we're going to miss him on the field. He's a pillar in the community. His charity foundation generates so much good, so much money. It's good awareness. It's things like that that are going to be missed. But I expect him to fully maintain his commitments.

"(Braves outfielder) B.J. Upton was at my house last night and he asked about Nick. I told him what kind of guy he's going to get and he's thrilled to get him. But we're losing part of our family. For the last seven years he's been part of the cornerstone of the organization. You lose a brother. You lose a man in battle. But it's the business of the game. And if that's how the Orioles want to see it, then let's see what they have up their sleeves."

On how strange it will be to not have Markakis in right field: "It's been 21/10. That's over with now. But these are the great challenges you must overcome in life. This happened in our pro careers. This is the challenge that I see. There's nothing more you can do at this point. I just wish him good luck and tell him that I'm going to miss him, but he's doing what's best for himself and his family. He's not supposed to do what's better for everyone else. He's supposed to please his wife and kids. That's first and foremost. I'm glad he did it. It's a business decision. I commend him for that. That's what he should do. It's his career, not anyone else's."

I'm running late for a taping at the MASN studios, so I'll post more from Jones later today.

Update: Here's more from Jones.

On Nelson Cruz leaving
"I talked to Cruz also. At the end of the day he's taking care of his family. He wanted to get a bigger deal last year and this year he had the opportunity coming off an unreal season. He has an opportunity to take care of his family for the rest of his life. He gets to go over there and play in Seattle with his fellow Dominicans like (Robinson) Cano. He gets to play with King Felix, people he's familar with.

"I'm going to miss him, too. It's not about missing his production. You're missing the individual, missing the smile that Cruz brought every day. That's the part you're going to miss. I love when he hits the ball in the gap and I could run, or over the fence and I could jog, but I'm going to miss the individual and the personality he brings.

"Now OK, adjustments have to be made. We've got to see what's going on, see how we walk into 2015 spring training."

On whether he's concerned about how the offseason is unfolding
"It's tough to be a fan right now, but that's the thing about being a fan. They're still going to be there. The loyals are going to be there. Losing Nick is a big blow because of the fact that he's the longest-tenured Oriole, a pillar of the community from Day One, a top draft pick. I'm still traded over, which is how it is at the end of the day. He's a homegrown product and he's going to be missed - not just in the clubhouse and all that, but in the community and the city of Baltimore. People love watching him on MASN.

"I haven't told my nephew yet. That's his favorite player. I want to see how he takes it. But for Show and Dan to let this go, they must have something ready to go. We shall see what they have up their sleeves. I don't know. I can reach out, but they're not going to let me know what they have planned. It's not my pay grade. I just sit back. But the thing in Baltimore is 'In Buck We Trust.' You've got to put your faith in someone.

"I signed here after they said they were going to ensure that winning is a priority. This is one of those crossroads where you say, 'OK, what's the plan?' Because we're losing three big pieces with (Andrew) Miller, too, but he was just traded over. But let's see what the plan is.

"One thing I know is not to question Buck's desire to win, so let's see what they have in store."