The Dodgers are trying to trade infielder/outfielder Alex Guerrero and are “talking to numerous teams” about the 29-year-old, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (via Twitter). As Rosenthal notes, Guerrero’s best fit would likely be with an American League club, as he’s not a gifted defender despite having appeared at multiple spots on the diamond between the Majors and minors over the past couple of seasons.
Guerrero signed a four-year, $28MM contract out of Cuba prior to the 2014 campaign, but he’s yet to live up to the expectations that came with that deal. He’s slated to earn $5MM in 2016, and it’s certainly worth noting that if traded, Guerrero would gain the right to opt out of the remaining one year and $5MM on that contract in order to test the free-agent market. Certainly, there’s motivation for the Dodgers to find a trade partner, as Guerrero’s contract stipulates that he cannot be optioned to the minor leagues without his consent, and the team already has an abundance of infield and corner outfield options on its roster.
Last season, Guerrero tallied 230 plate appearances with the Dodgers and showed very good power but a questionable approach at the plate, resulting in a .233/.261/.434 batting line and 11 home runs. At least some of the struggles could be tied to inconsistent playing time, as Guerrero was used sparingly — never starting more than 18 games in a month (May) and only starting as many as 10 games in one other month (June). Nearly a quarter of his plate appearances came as a pinch-hitter, and it’s easy to imagine that role being difficult on a hitter — particularly one that lacks experience against Major League pitching.
Guerrero was a career .303/.386/.528 hitter in Cuba and showed reasonable plate discipline there, though he walked at just under a five percent clip in his brief time in the minor leagues as well, so his lack of free passes isn’t unique to the Majors. Then again, Guerrero proved to be a potent bat in 308 minor league plate appearances, as his .333/.373/.621 triple slash played a significant role in his quick ascent to the big leagues. He’d likely have had more minor league development time were it not for a truly bizarre instance in May of 2014 that saw then-teammate Miguel Olivo bite off part of Guerrero’s ear in a dugout altercation, sidelining him for nearly six weeks.
Guerrero was a shortstop in Cuba, but the consensus among scouts is that he can’t handle the position at the Major League level. He’s seen quite a bit of time at second base in the minor leagues and has spent the entirety of his Major League career at third base and in left field, though he has fewer than 225 MLB innings at either position.
A team acquiring Guerrero would be taking on something of a project — a former Cuban star whose role in Major League Baseball is uncertain. He’s shown flashes of power but could prove to be a low-OBP asset with a questionable glove. The price, from a financial standpoint, is quite appealing, however, and there’s certainly reason to believe that if he hits for a better average, that could boost his OBP up to a passable level when juxtaposed with his power. For a team with limited financial resources and some needs in the infield — the Indians, Angels and, to a lesser extent, the Royals all come to mind for me — there’s some sense in exploring the potential of adding Guerrero to the fold if the cost of acquisition is limited, as one would expect.
At what point are teams going to realize that these unpolished Cuban players need to actually develop in the Minors?
There have been a lot more Cuban flops than instant stars. Wasting Major League money on guys who can’t hit.
its a risk but teams like the dodgers can afford to do this
They are worth the money but your right they need a couple years in the minors. The Cuban league is better than a triple A team with multiple stars. Nobody can come from another country to the best baseball in the world and instantly produce but the Cubans are coming really close. Their farm system with be better than DR when they finally get to put scouting departments all over Cuba.
For 28m, that’s a risk half the teams will be willing to take. Even if he doesn’t contribute on the major league roster, he can be traded for pieces you can use now or later, a la Olivera.
Hell, Daniel Murphy got a contract bigger. And he’s another defensive liability
Even with the World Series errors, Murphy is till nowhere near the defensive liability of Guerrero and he can certainly hit more consistently!
Guerrero would be a lot better off accepting a minors assignment but his contract is against it.
Finally! Hope he gets traded this year. A roster spot is more valuable than having Guerrero on the Dodger team.
I was gonna say the angels but how about the white sox?
I was thinking the same thing. Assuming they aren’t going to make a significant move, they might as well take a cheap flyer.
If they don’t make a move for Ian Desmond then Guerrero makes sense for the white sox
Except Guerrero isn’t a SS in MLB….assuming you were referring to filling that position w/ either player.
What will his asking price be. He showed signs of an elite player early on in the season and that faded away quickly. I’d love to see him come to the Yankees for a season on the bench/minors then hopefully take Headleys spot and he definitely fits the Yankees moments this offseason. Young and through trade
Why would the White Sox take someone else’s problem. He obviously needs minor league time if he ever has a chance to reach his potential but his contract prohibits that from happening. The Major Leagues is not a “developmental” league. If a player has a weakness, it will be exploited countless times until a player feels little or no hope.
fits sox time line well. at least he would hit some hr. guerrero latos lawrie, along with eaton would make a lively clubhouse. and sox desperate for enthiasm.
If they don’t make a move for Desmond , then they could try a trade for Guerrero
Guerrero is a perfect example of why Scott Boras is the worst agent in baseball. The Dodgers signed Guerrero to where he could decline options to the minors was a naive clause by Boras . Dodgers can spend money & afford a player at AAA to make 7.5 mil. Why not let your client develop 2 years in the minors? Then be ready for the last 2 seasons of the contract, instead of being at the MLB level 1 year to soon. Guerrero has 2 years left on the contract, & 3 years arbitration equals 5 years of team control. However Guerrero doesn’t want to play in the minors, and really doesn’t have an every day position. Guerrero projects as a utility player at 2B/3B/OF. Teams interested in Guerrero would be a rebuilding team. My prediction is one of these teams Reds/Phillies/Braves/or Rockies.
Boras gets his clients the most money and the best possible terms. As such, he is the best agent in baseball. That owners and fans don’t think so just confirms it.
I think you meant to say *best*. Guerrero is making a whole bunch of $$$ for someone that hasn’t done anything in the bigs.
Dodger logic: sign all the Cubans over market, don’t play them, trade them.
plans change they acquire better players, you dont play well enough to start your not going to start
At what point are teams going realize that Guerrero is a 30HR threat but Mattingly apparently hated him. His bat will overcome his defense even if he doesn’t find a DH role.
What he was unable to make adjustments. He was able to hit dead red fastballs but couldn’t make adjustments and was easily eliminated with fastballs on the hands. His bat is not worth his defense. He probably can become a productive player just nowhere near a 30 hr threat. He was exposed once pitchers made adjustments. Not only that it’s hard to play a guy who has no position
You can’t blame his hitting decline on Mattingly. If you think so, you just weren’t paying attention.. Early on, he swung at good pitches and connected. But the league soon discovered, he swung just as much at bad pitches but didn’t hit. His inability to adjust coupled with the total lack of fielding ability and stupid contract has made him practically worthless. I doubt very much the Dodgers will find a trade partner. Why would any team give up more than a ham sandwich for him? Sure, some team will take a flier on him but only after the Dodgers are forced to DFA him to free up a roster spot before the season begins. In fact, several teams might try him and drop him during the season. Why not, the Dodgers will have to pay most of the ticket. Then he’ll opt for free agency. See if anyone picks him up then. Ha! He’ll be out of baseball. And the fault? A very stupid Boras contract which no one should have signed and which everyone except Boras lost.
Phillies or Braves could be into this, but Guerrero was just not hitting anything for a big part of last year. And has a contract the Dodgers would have to eat a big part of.
does Guerrero packaged with Eithier make sense for the white sox? i think soo
What do the Dodgers get out of that?
Would not surprise me if Guerrero performed well if given the opportunity of normal playing time. When he did get “consistent” playing time he performed well last year in the first half. He can easily be a 0.280s avrg, low 20s HRs, and 80+ RBI guy in the right opportunity.
Agreed!!
he ought to go to the reds or phillies or brewers since they can afford to keep him in the lineup regardless – and if he can put up big league numbers he can go FA in a year – that said – as a giants fan I hope they don’t find a partner
This was an obvious move, but the Dodgers can’t expect anything back. For teams that are looking Ian Desmond is still out there and can conceivably defend identical positions. Jimmy Rollins is also out there, put up similar numbers(in more ABs) with better defense, and he can be had for really cheap. Dodgers would love to move Guerrero for the roster spot, but nobody’s going to be intent on acquiring him at this point.
Guerrero is a malcontent and that is major reason they want rid of him. Saw a great video of the entire altercation with Olivo and Guerrero was the aggressor, sucker punched Olivo when he was being held by a teammate.
Interesting, since no such video seems to exist, and also worth keeping in mind that Olivo was immediately released by the Dodgers, and he is now wrapping up his career in the Mexican league.
Olivo signed a minor league deal with the Giants last week
So he did. Will be interesting to see if he sticks anywhere given his history of anger management issues.
I don’t buy that for a second, Pads Fans. No video exists of the incident. And there were no reports of malcontent behavior in the Dodger dugout last season.
Trade him and Ethier, swallow a bunch of money and get a reliever. Then sigh Fowler and have Crawford, Van Slyke and Kike as back up outfielders n
Understanding FO decision making, that doesn’t make sense. Unless they can get a player to justify that lost pick( aka Hunter Harvy or a Fulmer) which honestly won’t happen and/or they eat a small amount of that salary. There will be relievers available at the deadline in McGee, Melancon, Box, maybe even a reunion with Tolleson as he becomes more expensive. Point is Ethier, is insurance if Puig or Pederson don’t hit or stay healthy. The problem is CCs decline and inability to stay on the field. If I were being a biased dodger fan I’d love to see Ethier a piece or two for a Fulmer who could them be used with multiple other pieces to flip for Blackmon and McGee. Realistically that doesn’t work because it’s crazy. Dodgers are looking to shed from older players. Fowler becomes negated because they have a cf and a table setter in Johson( who coincidentally has started taking reps in the Of last year. Plus they probably want too what the likes of Montas, Cotton, Rhame, and probably Anderson look if unleashed for an inning or two.
The frustrating thing about Crawford is he was actually on the upswing after recovering from multiple significant injuries, then got hit with a seemingly never-ending string of minor injuries. The point being I don’t think the Dodgers are going to give up on Crawford.
CC has shown the ability to carry a team as recently as 13. He can also be that lead off hitter. That being said at this point in his career he is the one dimensional streaky player which is hard to hide in the NL. Pederson will hit most prosp evaluators predicted he’d be around there. He was a rookie that had too many moving part and a lot of his comparisons are unfair and unsubstantiated. Puig just seems like he’s ready for a breakout year. In the end it may be wishful thinking to hope for that. The Dodgers will be fine. I don’t see CC/Ethier/Wood being moved before spring training. Maybe one or two at the trade deadline, but the Dodgers have kind of planted their flag.
Absolutely right about Ethier. They may trade him but ONLY if they are sure both Puig and Pederson are back. If not, they need him as an outfielder. Right now, the Dodgers are at risk of having no outfielders that can hit. They can’t go into the season based on MAYBE Pederson can hit or maybe Puig can learn to be a team player or maybe Crawford can stay healthy or maybe Van Slyke hasn’t lost it. Ethier may be a maybe also but he’s the best maybe they’ve got, right now. As to those that keep squawking about the Phillies, Reds, or Brewers being a landing spot for Guerrero, no National League team is going to take a player who can’t field at any position even if they are rebuilding.
Maybe a minor league deal to the white sox.