Orioles manager Buck Showalter -who
joked about hoping to use his eraser on some mock lineups – got his wish.
The O’s have reached an
agreement with free agent designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero on a one-year
contract, a Major League source confirmed to MLB.com on Friday evening.
The deal, which was first
reported by ESPNDeportes.com, is reportedly worth $8 million dollars, although
the details are still being worked out by both sides. The Orioles have not
commented on the signing, which won’t be made official until Guerrero undergoes
a physical early next week.
The 35-year-old Guerrero posted
a .300 average, with 29 homers and 115 RBIs last season with the Rangers and
was hoping to land a two-year deal at the start of the offseason. But with the
designated hitter’s market drying up, various reports the last several weeks hinted
that the Orioles were Guerrero’s best -and perhaps only – remaining landing
spot.
The O’s will use Guerrero as
their full time DH, moving Luke Scott to left field, a position which Scott has
said told Showalter he has “no problem” with since the 32-year-old prefers to
play the field. Guerrero’s signing does raise questions about the roles of
outfielders Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold, both of whom will be in camp.
While Pie can play center field
and is the lone backup for Adam Jones, Reimold still has an option left which
means he could be the odd man out and start the season in Triple-A. The
organization is hesitant to make any last-minute trades before Spring Training,
meaning it will be a crowded picture that heads to Sarasota for the first
full-squad workout on Feb. 21.
Adding Guerrero is just the
latest in a flurry of offseason moves for Baltimore, which has also upgraded its
lineup with power bat Mark Reynolds -via a trade from the Arizona Diamondbacks -
and with last month’s free agent signing of Derrek Lee.
Over his 15-year career,
Guerrero has hit .320 with 436 home runs and 1,433 RBIs.
