Saturday, January 1, 2011

Will Vlad return to Texas?

Via Doug Mittler of ESPN...


Vladimir Guerrero and the Texas Rangers are each open to alternatives, but another season in Arlington still remains a very viable, if not likely, possibility.
Guerrero was initially looking for a two-year deal, and who could blame him after he hit .300 with 29 homers and 115 RBI in his first season in Texas. Guerrero then appeared to soften his stance with various reports claiming the two sides are on the same page in discussing parameters on a one-year deal.
The Rangers are interested in free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre, but the degree of their interest remains a mystery. T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com speculates that the talks with Beltre could be a way to convince Guerrero they have other options at designated hitter.
If talks with Guerrero were to stall, the Rangers could consider Jim Thome or even Manny Ramirez.





Guerrero experienced a bounce back year with Texas, hitting .300 with 29 HRs and 115 RBI.  Barring injury, there is no reason to think he wouldn't be able to put up the same numbers in a return the offensive happy Arlington and hitting in the middle of a lineup that includes Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, and Nelson Cruz.  While Texas could consider Jim Thome or Manny Ramirez, lets remember Thome only played mostly against righties (189 ABs vs righties for a .302 average, 87 ABs vs lefties for a ..241 average) and the headaches Manny can cause have been documented for years.  Plus, Manny didn't really add himself any suitors with his paltry performance for the White Sox (2 RBI in 69 ABs) late in the 2010 season.

No comments:

Post a Comment