O's get VladOrioles agree to terms with Guerrero
In a move that will certainly please their long-suffering fan base and at least, on paper, give them one of the better lineups in the American League, the Orioles today have reached agreement on a one-year, $8 million deal with veteran slugger Vladimir Guerrero, according to sources.
The deal for the 36-year-old, who has 436 career home runs, is pending a physical. If Guerrero passes it, the Orioles will install him as their everyday designated hitter, and move last year’s DH, Luke Scott, the club’s leading returning home run hitter, to left field. Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold are now expected to compete for the fourth outfielder’s role.
Espndeportes.com first reported that the two sides have agreed to a deal.
Guerrero batted .300 with 29 homers and 115 RBI for the American League champion Texas Rangers in 2010.
The Orioles expressed interest in Guerrero earlier this offseason as a contingency plan had they been unable to sign a first baseman, and needed to play Scott at that position, thus opening the DH spot. However, they signed veteran Derrek Lee to play first and essentially cut off negotiations with Guerrero’s representatives – Fern Cuza and Diego Bentz – at that point.
They eventually resumed talks just a couple of days after the Tampa Bay Rays agreed to terms with Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez on Jan.21, eliminating what was believed to be Guerrero’s top suitor. The Los Angeles Angels, who Guerrero starred for from 2004 to 2009, also were essentially eliminated from the picture when they acquired outfielder Vernon Wells, a move that shifted Bobby Abreu to DH.
The Rangers also discussed a potential return for Guerrero, but they didn’t have enough at-bats available after signing third baseman Adrian Beltre, moving Michael Young to a utility/DH role, and acquiring first baseman/catcher Mike Napoli.
Orioles President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail had said on multiple occasions that the Orioles were likely done with any significance spending as their 2011 payroll – now about $92 million – had already exceeded what they hoped it would be.
However, Guerrero, who was initially seeking a two-year deal worth between $18 and $20 million, proved too good to pass up.
The nine-time, All-Star is a career .320 hitter and he’s driven in 100 runs or more 10 different seasons. A notorious free swinger who likes the ball anywhere and everywhere but still rarely strikes out (he fanned just 60 times in 593 at-bats last year), Guerrero’s also bashed 27 or more home runs in 11 of the past 13 seasons.
His bad knees make him exclusively a designated hitter and there’s some concern that his numbers tailed off so significantly in 2010. Guerrero hit .319 with 20 home runs and 75 RBIs in 83 games before the All-Star break. In the second half, he batted .278 with nine homers and 40 RBIs in 69 contests. He also struggled during the Rangers’ run to the World Series, batting .220 (13-for-59) with no homers, six RBIs and 16 strikeouts.
Still, Guerrero, who is rarely cheated, remains a big-time presence in the batter’s box and he’ll likely hit cleanup for the Orioles, adding even more depth to a lineup that now also includes Lee, third baseman Mark Reynolds and shortstop J.J. Hardy.
Reynolds, acquired in a December trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks, batted just .198 last year, but he still put up 32 homers and 85 RBIs and has averaged 35 homes and 95 RBIs over the past three seasons. Lee, a free agent signing, is also coming off a poor season (.260, 19 homers, 80 RBIs), but he’s just one year removed from registering a .306 average, 35 homers and 111 RBIs for the Chicago Cubs in 2009.
Hardy, acquired in a December trade with the Minnesota Twins, hit .268 with six homers and 38 RBIs in 101 games in 2010. However, he’s considered a significance offensive upgrade over former Orioles’ shortstop Cesar Izturis, who was re-signed to fill a utility role.
Yeah yeah cue the predictable spidernat "hammonds loves o's" post, but it's amazing how the Orioles are jumping our franchise. You could make a case that they have had a better offseason, a better farm and now it seems they have the better owner. Amazing.
We still have ? marks @ LF and CF, our middle infielders might have potential but are question marks and our rotation is one of the worst in the bigs.
Amazing how we have let the Orioles surpass us. The Nats are still my team, but boy this crap is depressing. I'm tired of watching AAAA baseball.
