Rangers interested in Vlad

by Kinslerhomer on Nov 12, 2009 11:09 PM CST

Come on JD and Nolan, we need more OBP not less!!!!

Talk about a perfect match: Vladimir Guerrero, the free-agent slugger who can't get enough of Texas' ballpark, and the Rangers, who want to add a right-handed hitter.

The Rangers are interested in Guerrero, according to a Major-League source. The question is whether they can afford him in the middle of their ownership transition.

Guerrero, 34, ultimately might command only a one-year deal in the range of $3 million to $5 million, plus incentives. But the Angels' signing of right fielder Bobby Abreu to a two-year, $19 million free-agent contract raised Guerrero's expectations, according to a source with knowledge of his thinking.

The Rangers also are considering other right-handed hitters, but Guerrero's prowess at Rangers Ballpark — a batting average/on base/slugging line of .394-.471-.705 in 50 career games — is difficult to ignore.

Motivation certainly would not be a problem for Guerrero — not when he would be playing 19 games per season against the Angels, his former team.

Tweet Comment 43 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck

"It's kind of a new stat that's in vogue" - Joe Buck on OPS

"...he wasn’t a good hitter, just a good middle of the order bat that hit a lot of homers." - NYTXFAN on Mark McGwire

by LSJ on Nov 12, 2009 11:11 PM CST reply actions

argh

that would be terrible

A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.

by NothinG on Nov 12, 2009 11:11 PM CST reply actions

i wanna know if anybody gets what was wrong with this team???????

A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.

by NothinG on Nov 12, 2009 11:12 PM CST reply actions

It's front office isn't as smart as we'd like to think?

Not to go all Josey Whales, but I’m starting to seriously fear that, after the Borbon thing at the end of the season, the apparently continuing undervaluing of Cruz, their incessant obsession with the clubhouse atmosphere and willingness to let Ron Washington manage their players.

And if this rumor has any truth to it and we’re really going after Vlad based on his numbers as a freaking visiting player in our ballpark…

"It's kind of a new stat that's in vogue" - Joe Buck on OPS

"...he wasn’t a good hitter, just a good middle of the order bat that hit a lot of homers." - NYTXFAN on Mark McGwire

by LSJ on Nov 12, 2009 11:19 PM CST up reply actions

then the Rangers front office would adopt the Benny Hinn theme song

A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.

by NothinG on Nov 12, 2009 11:23 PM CST up reply actions

ummm...

Don’t you mean Benny Hill?

"...like some Russian priest fresh off a bottle of potato vodka and a box of cigars." -t ball

by rangerdanger on Nov 12, 2009 11:48 PM CST up reply actions

Benny Hinn is the one who could heal Vlad's knees though

"It's kind of a new stat that's in vogue" - Joe Buck on OPS

"...he wasn’t a good hitter, just a good middle of the order bat that hit a lot of homers." - NYTXFAN on Mark McGwire

by LSJ on Nov 12, 2009 11:52 PM CST up reply actions

Well the theme song works for either one...lol

A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.

by NothinG on Nov 13, 2009 12:09 AM CST up reply actions

Yeah

It’s not the ballpark, it was our ass terrible “pitching”

"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.

by Kinslerhomer on Nov 12, 2009 11:24 PM CST up reply actions

Totally agree

"More than likely JW never played sports above the youth level. It amazes me that he seems to have no concept on the common reactions of an adult athlete or their normal interactions between each other." - laxonto

by Michael Cave on Nov 13, 2009 12:03 AM CST up reply actions

If a GM

this early in the offseason isn’t exploring every god damn possibility out there, then he’s not a very good GM. Vlad Guerrero at one point was a great, great hitter, if he comes for 3 million dollar, that’s quite a bit of the bang for the buck. If you understand the value of checking all your options, including those that might not necessarily fit into the “OBP monster” we all envisioned, you’re mindnumbingly retarded.

I’m a white boy who doesn’t think a black man is good enough to manage my baseball team. - LSJ
"I really think that" - LSJ, on being asked by AirJordan

by FirebatM3 on Nov 13, 2009 12:20 AM CST up reply actions

i agree

though i will be shocked if vlad goes for anything in that neighborhood. he’s one of those guys where it might be intriguing to have him, but the scenarios by which that might happen dont seem very plausible at this point. but you never know…

by Smoakin in the Boys Room on Nov 13, 2009 12:32 AM CST up reply actions

I'm sure teams wheigh any and all options

And yet this doesn’t always generate actual rumors.

Vlad will be 35 next year, is falling apart physically and has seen his slugging and ISO drop in almost each of the last 5 years. He just posted the worst season of his career offensively (.343 wOBA) which included a paltry 4.7 BB%. Granted, Fangraphs says he was still worth 3.4 mil despite this, but I don’t really see how acquiring another broken-down, declining DH who doesn’t walk worth a shit can be considered an actual solution to our problems when we’re supposed to be competing next year. If we’re going to invest in a guy that carries that kind of risk, it should be somebody who addresses our needs and I don’t see how Vlad does that.

"It's kind of a new stat that's in vogue" - Joe Buck on OPS

"...he wasn’t a good hitter, just a good middle of the order bat that hit a lot of homers." - NYTXFAN on Mark McGwire

by LSJ on Nov 13, 2009 12:37 AM CST up reply actions

Three things

1) Even in his almightly decline, the lowest OPS Vlad has ever put up in a pitcher’s park before last year was .886. That’s still a very good player.

2) Before this year, Michael Young was a broken down player whose body was failing him and who saw his production go consistently down the last few years. So was Bobby Abreu. Shit, so was Johnny Damon. And Hideki Matsui. Guess what, good players sometime have come from behind years, especially if they’re getting over injuries. To not due the due diligence on a player who might be had for 3 million is the sign of being both a bad GM and a stubborn jackass.

3) Just because a player doesn’t fit into your vision of what this team needs, doesn’t mean he doesn’t have value. If Guerrero comes and puts up .300/.350/.450, that’s still much better than what we got last year and a considerable bargain if we get him for the 3-5 million suggested on the article.

Were you always a stubborn jackass with little capability for empathy or is this a new development?

I’m a white boy who doesn’t think a black man is good enough to manage my baseball team. - LSJ
"I really think that" - LSJ, on being asked by AirJordan

by FirebatM3 on Nov 13, 2009 12:45 AM CST up reply actions

What does not thinking Vlad fits our needs have to do with empathy?

"It's kind of a new stat that's in vogue" - Joe Buck on OPS

"...he wasn’t a good hitter, just a good middle of the order bat that hit a lot of homers." - NYTXFAN on Mark McGwire

by LSJ on Nov 13, 2009 12:47 AM CST up reply actions

you're right

that’s a poor word choice. Long-term planning/logical progression is a better one.

So, to rephrase,

Were you always a stubborn jackass with little capability for following logic or being flexible to meet your needs (you know, like a team operating on a small budget has to do), or is this a new development?

I’m a white boy who doesn’t think a black man is good enough to manage my baseball team. - LSJ
"I really think that" - LSJ, on being asked by AirJordan

by FirebatM3 on Nov 13, 2009 12:52 AM CST up reply actions

I never said they shouldn't do due diligence

Just that I think Vlad is a rather poor option compared to the others out there (Bradley, Johnson, Troy Glaus). Doing due diligence doesn’t necessarily have to constitute having interest in a player, so I’m not sure why you’re attacking me over this.

Then again, you’re firebat, so it’s not like you need a reason.

"It's kind of a new stat that's in vogue" - Joe Buck on OPS

"...he wasn’t a good hitter, just a good middle of the order bat that hit a lot of homers." - NYTXFAN on Mark McGwire

by LSJ on Nov 13, 2009 12:57 AM CST up reply actions

You're parsing over words

talking and showing interest are pretty much the same fucking thing. We talked to John Lackey’s people, therefore we’re now interested in the horse-faced asshole. I suppose you’ll learn more about this when/if you get interested in girls.

I’d tell you to stop making retarded, knee-jerking posts, but then again, you’re LSJ.

I’m a white boy who doesn’t think a black man is good enough to manage my baseball team. - LSJ
"I really think that" - LSJ, on being asked by AirJordan

by FirebatM3 on Nov 13, 2009 1:00 AM CST up reply actions

So should we hug now?

"It's kind of a new stat that's in vogue" - Joe Buck on OPS

"...he wasn’t a good hitter, just a good middle of the order bat that hit a lot of homers." - NYTXFAN on Mark McGwire

by LSJ on Nov 13, 2009 1:02 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs

No

go get Lesch-Nyhan syndrome.

I’m a white boy who doesn’t think a black man is good enough to manage my baseball team. - LSJ
"I really think that" - LSJ, on being asked by AirJordan

by FirebatM3 on Nov 13, 2009 1:03 AM CST up reply actions

It's not as funny if I have to look it up.

by LiamP on Nov 13, 2009 1:05 AM CST up reply actions 2 recs

Yeah

if I’m going to waste time here though, I might as well also use it as a study tool.

I’m a white boy who doesn’t think a black man is good enough to manage my baseball team. - LSJ
"I really think that" - LSJ, on being asked by AirJordan

by FirebatM3 on Nov 13, 2009 1:06 AM CST up reply actions

And plus

I find a disease where the patient literally self-mutilates by biting off their lips and fingers much more appropriate for someone like LSJ than cancer or death by fire.

I’m a white boy who doesn’t think a black man is good enough to manage my baseball team. - LSJ
"I really think that" - LSJ, on being asked by AirJordan

by FirebatM3 on Nov 13, 2009 1:08 AM CST up reply actions

easy there, nidal

maybe jon is mildly irritating from time to time, but this whole pariah thing has been getting out of hand.

by Smoakin in the Boys Room on Nov 13, 2009 1:48 AM CST up reply actions

So we should only think about guys that fit your idea of what helps us?

Gotcha.

And then when those guys sign with other teams for whatever reason what do we do?

Bryan Smith (12:17:17 PM PT): Justin Smoak and Josh Hamilton. The AL West might just have found their Bash Brothers, v. 2.0.

by bigsteve on Nov 13, 2009 8:44 AM CST up reply actions

Vlad is a better option than all 3 of those names

"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"

by Walter Sobchak on Nov 13, 2009 11:49 AM CST up reply actions

I beg to differ.

As I replied to bigsteve a few days ago, look at Vlad’s OPS decline, both overall and against lefties, the last 3 seasons. Vlad is a has been.

G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....

by t ball on Nov 18, 2009 12:34 AM CST up reply actions

No, he's not.

"It's kind of a new stat that's in vogue" - Joe Buck on OPS

"...he wasn’t a good hitter, just a good middle of the order bat that hit a lot of homers." - NYTXFAN on Mark McGwire

by LSJ on Nov 18, 2009 2:39 AM CST up reply actions

Really?

considering he wasn’t much more productive than Andruw Jones last year, I don’t think thats a slam dunk.

"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland

by DJCahill on Nov 18, 2009 5:29 AM CST up reply actions

He had many many more productive AB's

by octoberty on Nov 18, 2009 9:13 AM CST up reply actions

He certainly had more PAs

but on a rate basis he really wasn’t much more productive.

For instance, had Andruw had as many PAs as Vlad, he projected to have more RBIs and a handful less runs.

I don’t think there is much evidence that Vlad was more productive than Andruw last year. Personally, I think signing a declining hacker like Vlad would be the absolute worst thing for this team. This team needs some guys who can consistently get on base.

by DJCahill on Nov 19, 2009 8:04 AM CST up reply actions

Cool.

by octoberty on Nov 12, 2009 11:17 PM CST reply actions

I don't want him to come here

merely because it would be too painful to watch that man try to run everyday.

"...like some Russian priest fresh off a bottle of potato vodka and a box of cigars." -t ball

by rangerdanger on Nov 12, 2009 11:22 PM CST reply actions

This won't happen

I think Luke French has a lot of potential. TORP potential.-Dstar

by sprite on Nov 12, 2009 11:54 PM CST reply actions

One big problem with this scenario

He wont be hitting against Rangers pitching in the ballpark. Terrible pitching can very much skew numbers like these.

by Michael Cave on Nov 13, 2009 12:02 AM CST reply actions

I think we're at the

“we don’t fucking need Milton Bradley” part of the Milton Bradley negotiations.

I am amazed people still think they can read anything into what JD will do from press clippings.

I’m a white boy who doesn’t think a black man is good enough to manage my baseball team. - LSJ
"I really think that" - LSJ, on being asked by AirJordan

by FirebatM3 on Nov 13, 2009 12:13 AM CST reply actions

Yep

I won’t get the slightest bit nervous about this actually happening until I hear it from someone a lot closer to the team than a room full of noisemakers at the GM meetings. A lot of the rumors that have been out there this week have really been out there.

G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....

by t ball on Nov 13, 2009 12:27 AM CST up reply actions

yes

"...like some Russian priest fresh off a bottle of potato vodka and a box of cigars." -t ball

by rangerdanger on Nov 13, 2009 12:37 AM CST up reply actions

Agree totally

We’ve found out over and over again that JD can be unpredictable, his trades and acquisitions can come out of nowhere, and lots of rumors about his thought processes turn out to be entirely incorrect.

So with all that in mind, why all the wailing and gnashing of teeth? One freaking rumor that the Rangers may be interested, which may be bolstered by the old reliable “well, it’s a good fit, so it must be true!” and LSB turns into a “WE’RE SIGNING VLAD, JONNY DONUTS DOESN’T KNOW WHAT HE’S DOING, OMGZ”

Calm down boys.

"Dying ain't hard. It’s living in the wake of a thorough public humiliation that’s hard.--JDT217

Internet greatness http://www.lonestarball.com/2009/11/10/1125340/will-carroll-calls-out-josey-wales

by WestTxAg06 on Nov 13, 2009 7:24 AM CST up reply actions

Yup

This time of year teams are kicking the tires on all kinds of things.

"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg

by rentz on Nov 13, 2009 7:44 AM CST up reply actions

Has anyone suggested that this

is just a shrewd tactic by JD to get the Cubs to eat up more of Bradley’s contract in a potential deal?

by Agreen07 on Nov 13, 2009 7:37 AM CST reply actions

That sounds exactly like something JD would do

“Jim Hendry please….hey Jim, it’s JD….no, that’s still too much, we can’t do that…sure, we’d love to have Milton but we really don’t need him….yeah, there’s this free agent we’re interested in….he kinda hits pretty well at our Ballpark….his name is Vlad, maybe you’ve heard of him?….sure, if you want to pay all of Milt’s contract that’d be great. Nice doing business with you.”

"Dying ain't hard. It’s living in the wake of a thorough public humiliation that’s hard.--JDT217

Internet greatness http://www.lonestarball.com/2009/11/10/1125340/will-carroll-calls-out-josey-wales

by WestTxAg06 on Nov 13, 2009 7:57 AM CST up reply actions

Hell

players use other teams in contract negotiations, why can’t teams use other players when negotiating with other teams (or players)? If JD is really doing it, I say “Well done, JD. Well done.”

by chrisR on Nov 13, 2009 10:48 PM CST up reply actions