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Vladimir Guerrero

Manny, Vlad Progressing Toward Deals

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Manny Ramirez and Vladimir Guerrero may not be on our free agent list much longer. Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes hears from various sources that both players are moving toward deals (link in Spanish). One source tells Rojas that Ramirez is likely to sign by the beginning of next week.

The Angels, Twins, Rangers, Rays and Blue Jays have shown some interest in Ramirez, but Minnesota just added Jim Thome and is no longer interested. The Angels, Rangers and Rays are pursuing him most aggressively. Rojas hears that Manny wants to prove himself after a disappointing season; money, it seems, is not the slugger's primary concern.

A person close to Guerrero told Rojas that the Orioles have the inside track on signing him, but the Angels are another possibility.

Rangers Notes: Manny, Guerrero, Daniels

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Rangers president Nolan Ryan discussed possible moves for the defending American League champions and MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan has the details…

  • The Rangers are sill interested in adding offense after missing out on Jim Thome.
  • “It’s always nice to have a veteran bat off the bench," Ryan said. "It gives you an opportunity late in the game if you don't like the matchups. I'm not sure that person is out there."
  • Vladimir Guerrero and Manny Ramirez are probably not fits, Ryan said.
  • It’s not realistic for the Rangers to acquire another dependable veteran starter, Ryan said. Instead, the team will rely on Michael Kirkman, Derek Holland and Tommy Hunter to continue developing.
  • Extending GM Jon Daniels, whose contract expires after the season, will become a priority in the coming weeks.

Quick Hits: Pedro, Young, Rays, Thome

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On this date nine years ago, Carlos Pena and Ryan Ludwick were traded for each other. Here are some links on a day that has featured a number of signings, but no trades…

Orioles, Angels, Rays Interested In Vladimir Guerrero

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The Orioles, Angels and Rays have shown different levels of interest in Vladimir Guerrero, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com. Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles heard this week that the Halos weren’t talking to the DH, but a return to Anaheim remains possible for the longtime Angel.

A return to Texas is no longer a possibility, as Rangers GM Jon Daniels said the team is not pursuing Guerrero. Vlad, who turns 36 next month, hit .300/.345/.496 with 29 homers last year. He made his ninth All-Star team and earned his eighth Silver Slugger, finishing 11th in MVP balloting.

The Orioles would have to play Luke Scott in the outfield if they were to sign Guerrero. That would create a logjam with Scott, Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold battling for one outfield spot (assuming Adam Jones and Nick Markakis play every day). The Angels would have to play Bobby Abreu or Juan Rivera in the outfield on a daily basis if they sign Guerrero instead of a player who can patrol the outfield. The Rays could offer Guerrero a full-time DH job and they appear to be a better fit than the O's or Angels.

Odds & Ends: Thome, Vladdy, Blue Jays, CarGo

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As Cooperstown welcomes Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven into the Hall of Fame, some of these news items concern a few of Alomar and Blyleven's former teams and teammates…

  • Jim Thome is said to be looking for a one-year deal worth as much as $8MM, reports ESPN.com's Jason A. Churchill.  Thome's strong 2010 season notwithstanding, that would represent a whopping increase over the $1.5MM contract he signed with Minnesota last year.  The Twins have been considered the favorites to re-sign Thome, but if the team balks at that asking price, Churchill suggests they could instead turn to Vladimir Guerrero as a DH option.  Churchill adds that Tampa Bay could also be interested in Guerrero if the price is right.
  • Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos "conceded that it's looking more likely that" Jose Bautista will be Toronto's Opening Day third baseman rather than its right fielder, reports Shi Davidi of The Canadian Press.  Anthopoulos noted that the club is still looking at other third base/right field options and also may still be in the market for another reliever.  The Blue Jays have added Octavio Dotel, Chad Cordero and Wil Ledezma to their bullpen mix over the past two days.
  • Carlos Gonzalez had a lengthy meeting with agent Scott Boras in December to discuss a possible extension with the Rockies, so the agreed-upon deal wasn't at all "an impulse decision," tweets The Denver Post's Troy Renck.
  • Also from Renck (Twitter link), the Rockies are "not totally out" of the bidding for Joe Beimel, but other clubs "have shown stronger interest."  We heard last month that the Rockies weren't one of several teams who had made Beimel a contract offer.
  • The Pirates' desire to add left-handed relievers has only grown in the wake of Ledezma going to Toronto, tweets Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  • Speaking of the Pirates, Bucs president Frank Coonelly discussed the team's relief options and other topics in his monthly chat with fans on MLB.com.
  • With so many intriguing designated hitter possibilities on the market, Chad Jennings of the LoHud Yankees blog notes that it's an unfortunate time for the Yankees to be shifting Jorge Posada into the full-time DH spot.

AL West Notes: Beltre, Rangers, A’s, Guerrero

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Needless to say, the Adrian Beltre signing is the biggest news of the day in the AL West.  Here are some other items from the division with the longest World Series title drought (albeit only since 2002) in baseball…

  • There isn't any deferred money in the five guaranteed years of Beltre's contract, reports Evan P. Grant of the Dallas Morning News.  (Twitter link)  Grant says the Rangers are "trying to do away with deferrals."
  • Beltre's signing could push the Rangers' payroll over the $100MM mark for the first time since 2003, reports MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan.  Team president Nolan Ryan says the team is not only prepared for the possibility, but says Beltre's deal won't affect plans to explore extensions with players like Josh Hamilton.
  • Mychael Urban of CSNBayArea.com thinks the Beltre signing "isn’t necessarily a loss for the jilted A’s" since the Rangers didn't solve their main need of pitching, and Beltre's production last year "represents a wash offensively" with the departed Vladimir Guerrero.  
  • Speaking of Guerrero, Angels manager Mike Scioscia discussed the veteran slugger with Jim Duqette and Kevin Kennedy of MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM.  (MLB.com's Lyle Spencer has a fuller recap of Scioscia's appearance.)  Scioscia said his team isn't looking for a long-term contract with Guerrero, but admitted that "he's definitely a guy that's very interesting to look at."  We've heard mixed reports about the Angels' interest in bringing Guerrero back to Anaheim, but with Texas out of the picture, the Halos probably won't have to offer more than a one-year deal to sign the possible Hall-of-Famer. 

Rangers Out On Vladimir Guerrero

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The Rangers are out on Vladimir Guerrero, according to Anthony Andro of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter).  Texas' need for the soon-to-be 36-year-old decreased significantly when they signed Adrian Beltre, sliding Michael Young into a DH/utility role.

The market for Guerrero has taken quite a hit in the last 48 hours as the Angels are reportedly no longer courting him.  Signing the veteran would force the Angels to use Juan Rivera or Bobby Abreu in left field, something the club isn't terrifically eager to do.  His return would also mean less plate apperances for Mike Napoli who hit .238/.316/.468 with 26 homers across 140 games last season.

The Significance Of The Adrian Beltre Deal

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Beltre
Adrian Beltre agreed to a deal that guarantees him $80MM over five years. It's the biggest contract of Beltre's career and the fourth biggest free agent deal of the 2010-11 offseason.

The left side of the Rangers' infield should improve when Beltre joins defensive whiz Elvis Andrus. Since Andrus became a regular in 2009, he ranks seventh among MLB shortstops in UZR/150 and Beltre ranks second among MLB third baseman for that same time period. Beltre has had his highs ('04 and '10 stand out) and lows ('01, '05, '09) at the plate, but he has been an above average hitter and defender more often than not.

Beltre joins the defending American League champions on what will presumably be the last major contract of his career (he'll be at least 36 when the deal expires). For what it's worth, Beltre has a career .306/.336/.521 line in 229 plate appearances in Texas.

Here's what it means for the others involved:

Michael Young

  • This could be the end of Young's tenure in Texas, but he won't be easy to trade and he adds value as a utility player, so the Rangers may keep him. Young, who has already proven that he can adjust to big league position switches, may have to play shortstop for the first time since 2008 and second base for the first time since 2003.

Vladimir Guerrero

The Angels

  • The Angels could have used Carl Crawford and Beltre, yet they did not sign either player. While the A's and Rangers have made a number of acquisitions, the Angels have been relatively quiet, adding left-handers Scott Downs and Hisanori Takahashi.

The A's

The Red Sox

  • The Red Sox will obtain two top draft picks next year since they offered arbitration to Beltre, a Type A free agent, and he turned it down. One draft choice will be a supplementary first rounder and the other will come from the Rangers. It will be Texas' first rounder as long as the Rangers don't sign Rafael Soriano. If they do sign the closer, the Rays would get the Rangers' top pick and the Red Sox would get their second rounder.

Jose Bautista & Aramis Ramirez

  • Bautista and Ramirez are set to enter free agency after the season. They're far from perfect comps for Beltre – Bautista may end up playing right field next year – but this deal could play in their favor if they hit free agency after strong 2011 seasons at third base.

Scott Boras

  • Did anyone expect Jayson Werth to sign for $126MM and Beltre to sign a deal that could make him $96MM? Finding the right deal for Rafael Soriano is another major test for Boras, who has found unexpectedly big paydays for his clients so far this winter.

Photo courtesy of Icon SMI

Poll: The Designated Hitter Market

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The market for designated hitters has been slow to develop this winter, meaning that a few intriguing veteran bats are still available. When we looked at MLBTR's top 15 remaining free agents this week, three of the top six names were designated hitters, with another likely DH, Johnny Damon, also cracking the list.

Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero, and Damon all appear capable of contributing solid offensive production in 2011. Of the four, only Damon had a 2010 OPS below .841, and he still reached base at a .355 clip, right in line with his career rate. Considering their defensive limitations and the fact that they're on the wrong side of 35, it seems unlikely that any of these four will land multiyear deals. While the values may vary, one-year contracts in designated hitter roles appear probable for all four players.

Taking into account that likely variance in salary, here's tonight's poll question: if you were an American League GM in search of a DH, which player would you prefer to add? Who will provide the most bang for your buck in 2011? Ramirez, Thome, Guerrero, and Damon are the most intriguing names out there, but there are also a few under-the-radar DH candidates available, as MLBTR's free agent tracker shows, so be sure to take that into consideration as well.

Olney On Vlad, Zambrano, Yankees, Fuentes

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The latest from ESPN.com's Buster Olney on potential contracts and trades:

  • The Rangers and Vladimir Guerrero are now "on the same page" and are discussing the parameters of a one-year deal. Vlad originally sought a multiyear contract.
  • Though there's been speculation that the Yankees could inquire on Carlos Zambrano, Olney reports that they will not attempt to acquire him.
  • Now that the Red Sox have agreed to sign Bobby Jenks, their payroll is higher than the Yankees' (Twitter link).
  • Brian Fuentes is looking for a deal that resembles the three-year $15MM contract Scott Downs signed, according to Olney (on Twitter).
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