Following this season, Vladimir Guerrero will be a free agent for the first time since signing a five-year, $70 million deal in 2004.
According to Jeff Blair from the Globe and Mail, “Baseball people have felt for some time it’s a slam-dunk that Guerrero would end up with the Mets and GM Omar Minaya.”
However, Blair says, this is ‘no longer a certainty,’ due to Minaya’s lack of job security and concerns about the team’s finances.
Blair now believes Guerrero can only hope to be a team’s Plan B or Plan C, saying, “He’ll get a contract, but, in this cautious marketplace, it will likely be with a big-market team that can afford to cover any losses.”
The 33–year-old Guerrero hit .295 with a .334 OBP, 15 HR and 50 RBI in just 100 games for the Angels this season, missing time with a torn pectoral muscle, as well as a strained muscle behind his left knee.
He hit 27 home runs with more than 90 RBI in each of the previous two seasons, playing at least 143 games.
{ 41 comments }
I’m not opposed to seeing Vlad in a Mets uniform but only if all other options (Holliday/Bay) fail. Vlad is 33 and has knee problems, neither of which are going to get better with the passing of time. This team gives too many contracts out to aging players who are past their prime. I’m hoping they’ve learned that lesson.
Holliday is younger, a better overall hitter and a better fielder. But Holliday will probably cost twice as much.
It would have been nice five years ago when he hit the crap out of the ball, but not anymore. Vlad is an AL player now as he can’t play the field because of his leg problems. When he could play in the field the previous three years, his range was terrible. Pass…
Exactly. Why does it seem like the Mets enjoy taking on aging superstars just past their prime? I am surprised we aren’t linked to any Griffey, Jr. rumors. Vladdy would have been nice to have 3 or 4 or 5 years ago… today he is one more injury from retirement and if you haven’t been watching the Playoffs he looks washed up. Plus… we don’t have the DH in the National League.
Vlad is probably closer to 43 than 33.
Don’t touch him with a 200 ft pole.
pass
The time to get this guy was 5 years ago. The mets passed then, why would they want him now?
Does any of this really matter? The phillies and yanks in the WS? Come on. The mets won’t be competing with these teams with pathetic moves like picking up Vlad. Get Holliday, Lackey, Harden.
I agree with the 3 you want to go out and get. As i’m saying if your “Extra” piece is signing Vladdy i won’t complain.
It would be like the Yankees quickly signing Sabbathia, Burnett and trading for Swisher. Then acting like they were finished before going and signing Teixeria. I’m not saying Vladdy is Teix, but it would be the same sort of approach. Fill you Major holes, Holliday, Lackey, Harden, then if you feel it’s the right move Vladdy.
I would love to see Vlad in LF, seeing him play in the playoffs, he doesnt look that bad. He was never fast and always ran with those stiff knees. if you can get gim much cheaper than Holliday (I dont want Bay at all) I say go for it. Pagan can be a defensive sub and lefty platoon every 5 day or something. Then it gives you money to get a nice 1st baseman if they can find one and frees up some money for a solid number 2
Problem with this is, if he’s your big bat you want him in the lineup. You don’t want the 10th, 11th etc innings coming up with your one of your guys who could win it for you on the bench because of defensive purposes. Your going to have Pagan as your cleanup hitter in important AB’s.
I still like Vladdy. But he’s a major Red Flag guy now with his knees and back. I would love the mets to go all in and sign Holliday, and non-tendure Franceour and sign Vladdy. Have an outfield of Holliday, Beltran, Vlad.
Why non-tender Franceour? He’s got one of the best arms in the game. Sign Vlad for much cheaper than Holliday to play LF (less spacious than RF in Citi). Then we’d have 3 good arms in the OF. Then trade a package that includes Maine for Adrian Gonzalez or another big hitting 1B and use the rest of the money to bring in Lackey and Marquis.
Reyes
Castillo
Beltran
Gonzalez
Wright
Vlad
Franceour
Santos
P
Santana, Lackey, Pelfrey, Marquis, Perez
I say Non-Tenure Franceour because it’s the most realistic Scenario, if you want to have a big impace FA period. Outfield defense on the corners isn’t as important as up the middle. See Yankees and Boston.
Trading for Adrian Gonazalez or another big name 1st baseman is a pipe dream, and would completely decimate your farm system to do so. Nobody wants to trade for Maine when he might be a FA anyways, Nobody would really center a deal around Murphy. You would have to most likely include Ike Davis, Jennry Mejia, and Pelfrey. And I’d rather hold onto the Prospects and fill needs through FA, especially this year when your holding onto your top Draft pick.
So Signing Holliday and Vladdy, non tenuring Franceour, fills your offensive and power needs, while weakens your outfield defense. Also you lose 2nd and 3rd round picks that will hopefully be compensated by some team signing Franceour and Tatis who are both Type B FA’s.
This way you have your 1st round pick, 2 sandwich picks, Holliday, and Vladdy. Your way we have Vladdy and Gonzalez and lose 2+ top Prospects.
Speed and defense will continue to be important for all three OF positions at CitiField.
The Vlad ship sailed long ago. Pass.
Yes, it is important, but not in lieu of offense. It depends on the options I guess. If the choice is between a great defensive player who typically hits .260 with 12 home runs, or a bad defensive player who can hit .300 with 35 home runs, you take the latter.
The mets have to offer tatis arbitration or they won’t get the comp pick. Of course, then they may end up with tatis back too.
if they non tender Francouer, he is a FA, and they will not get a compensation pick for him.
Wow, if we had signed him 5 years ago, people would be saying that he was a waste of money on the back end of his contract, with all of his injuries and lower production. But isn’t that the case with any player?
On the other hand, could he have been the difference maker in 2006 or 2007? Would we even have signed Beltran? Made the trade for Johan? Etc. etc. Hard to practice revisionist history…
Hard to say his production was down. Unless you think
2007: .324/.402/.547 with 27 HR and 125 RBI (150G, 106 in RF)
2008: .303/.365/.521with 27 HR and 91 RBI (143G, 99 in RF)
2009: .295/.334/.460 with 15 HR and 50 RBI (100G)
2009 was a down year, but that’s a pretty solid season for only 100 games played. To put it into perspective Beltran played in 81 games to a .325/.415/.500 line with 10 HR and 48 RBI.
um that is DOWN it translate to 22 & 75 if he played 150 games.
The Mets shouldn’t get Vlad now for the reasons they passed on him when they should’ve gotten him.
This is just a case of a lazy writer filling offseason copy. Despite Minaya’s love of old, broken-down players, I think Vlad at this stage is even too much for him.
The guy can barely walk. There’s no way he will ever play in the NL.
When I watch Vlad now, he appears to me to be out of shape, soft, old. Think of an out of shape Carlos Delgado with Franceour’s plate discipline.
The only scenario I would be open to Vlad in is one where he comes in on a one year deal worth well under 10MM per season, with the expectation that the guy is going to get 450 ABs (a large chunk against LHP) and the Pagans and Fernandos of the world get the other ABs.
Vlad would have to be a “last piece of the puzzle” type option, and I think Citi Field would take its toll on a guy like him, who no longer runs well and relies on the long fly.
can he play 1B? I doubt it. but thats the only position he could play with the mets. no way he can play the outfield.
I’m not opposed to having Vladdy patrol Right Field for the mets, Only IF he’s the “Extra” guy added this off-season, and not THE guy added.
If the mets go out and add Holliday in LF and Vladdy in RF yes the outfield defense will suffer. But many teams in recent history have won with poor corner outfield defense, and theoretically Carlos can cover more ground for Vladdy. This would completely solve your offensive problems. Reyes, Beltran, Holliday, Vladdy, Wright, Murphy Castillo, Catcher would be as strong a 1-5 as anyone, or you could go Reyes, Castillo, Beltran, Holliday, Wright, Vladdy, Murphy and have a good 1-6.
You think Vladdy can’t cover as much ground as Abreau, Manny, Ibanez, J.D. Drew, Jason Bay, Magglio Ordonez….
wow, that would be a lineup, I agree with everything you said..
are you serious?
Go sign Holliday and Vlad? No thanks.
Why would you want two horrendous outfielders in Citi Field
Some of you guys are sad.
Holliday in NY..no thanks…and the Mets certanly dont need a washed up Vlad.
Vlad is broken down and not who he was. Lets move on. The last thing we need is poor corner range in Citi Field – No to Holliday and Vlad. We need to stop constructing the Mets with players who don’t fit and I don’t think either does.
Vlad is on the decline – he no longer looks smooth….broken down and it shows.
There’s reason why he’s been playing 100 games or so in the outfield for a number of seasons now; injured, broken down, DL, bad wheels. Yo’u're trying to stff square peg into round hole. He’s no longer full time NL type outfielder, no longer evokes major fear and needs the DH to stay in lineup. He’s becoming 2009 version of Gary Sheffield, Jim Thome, Garrett Anderson – good players past their physical primes, but for Vlad it’s occcuring at younger age.
Matt Holliday is poor defensive player and isn’t the hitter he seems. All one needs is look at his career road stats and consider his struggle in the A.’L. to see that without Coors, and Albert Pujols, he’’s nothing special to warrent big dollars and years. Watching him play against the Mets and under pressure only confirms that. .284/.353/.454 career on the road. 52 homers and 217 rbi in 414 road games. That’s an average of 20.8 homers and 86.8 rbi over 162 games per season.
Now factor Citi Field dimensions which already concern him,, and what we have is complementary player type who plays poor D but wants superstar money.
We need legit, middle of the lineup hitter who won’t hurt s defemsively, is consistent at home and on the road and can handle big ballpark with high fences. I dont’t see Matt Holliday as that guy.
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
MO VAUGHN 2
Plain and simple … if this, then that.
If the Mets sign Vlad …
Then I quite as a Mets fan.
No more tickets.
You want an aging bat? Then you keep Sheffield or Delgado.
Vlad was a BIG NAME ages ago that EVERY METS fan wanted. And Freddie Coupon let him go, perhaps a smart move then (though most Mets fans would disagree).
To sign Vlad now would be typical Mets.
Again, if that happens, that will be the last straw.
That wouldn’t be the last straw for me. For me, the last straw would be if they signed nobody and just said “Hey, Reyes and Beltran are healthy again”.
“I’m here to announce that we have had a very productive and, umm, successful off-season. The field I, umm, you know, have put together is even better than last season. We have added Jose Reyes to the top of lineup where we feel, you know, that he can be a dynamic force. We have added one of the best CFers in the game in umm, Carlos Beltran. John Maine, as good as there is out there for young pitchers that cant stay healthy and pitch 6 Innings, he’s slotting right into our rotation after one of the best inconsistent Lefties in the game, umm, you know IMO, in Mr. Oliver Perez. And finally, our bullpen is as strong as it has been in a year, and we have added umm, another very solid, you know, setup man, who uhh, yeah, who had been a successful closer 3 years ago, in Mr. JJ. Putz. This is your team, this is your, umm, you know, New York Mets for the 2010 season.”
“All I heard when I went for bagels was about the offense. So with the return of Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes, I’d like to say to all our Met fan out there, we fixed the offense.”
That is so funny and as true today as it was just after the ASB.
Reyes is an incredible upgrade over anyone available for SS. John Maine is a wonderful #3-4 slot.
Putz will fill in nicely as the set-up man.
Geez…what more do we want as Mets Fans?
Next thing you’ll be asking for are additional players to fill our supposed holes…
What’s wrong w/ D.M.? he is a capable corner infielder whos value to the team will only increase w/ experience.
A.P. will grow into an above average corner o.f. who will grow into his position once he gets more playing time.
J.M. is a budding young pitcher who is about to turn the corner on his pitching and become a cornerstone (read core) of this staff.
Holes, what holes?
After all: we do have “one of the highest payrolls in baseball” (Jeff W. 2009).
Sooo, your logic is: “I want the Mets to make a crappy, counter-productive move, because I’m afraid they won’t do anything at all.”
I’m sorry, you must be looking the the “logic” section, this is the “dripping w/ sarcasm” section.
Please step through the door marked “exit” and turn to your left.
“Exit” is latin for “logic”.
Thanks, but I wasn’t talking to you. See, it’s an outline format, indents indicating levels of response — you’ll get the hang of it.
To answer your question, no I don’t want to see them make a counter productive move, but I want to see them make a change, even it’s a lateral one. If Vlad Guerrero was the only position player Omar signed, he would still be better than Francoeur and Pagan, and would at least supply some desperately needed power. I don’t consider that a counter productive move.
Thank you for the lesson, I don’t know how I got as far as I did in life without your tutelage.
I am in awe…
Especially since you were able to read between the lines, deduce what he meant…and yet still get it wrong.
If Vlad ends up with the Mets I really might give up. Anyone who thinks this is a good move please do me a favor and root for another organization. Are you people kidding me?
I dont care if Vlad has anything left in the tank. He is of no use for us. No power and cant play the OF.
Man, sometimes I really scratch my head with you fans and of course this organization
I don’t know how you guys that want Vlad here don’t see it. OldBackstop hit the nail right on the head, think Delgado with Frenchy’s plate discipline. He has shown me nothing in the playoffs. In fact, I cringe for the Halo’s when he comes to bat. He clearly looks like a shadow of his former self and is really looking like he will be that overpaid player who will get compensated for past performance rather than what he will surely do in the future. I couldn’t agree more with the negative sentiment here. “He’s the next Mo Vaughn, stay 200 feet from this guy, I wouldn’t touch him with a 10 foot pole, etc. He’ll be the Castillo we thought we were getting when Omar paid that contract. Pass, pass, pass, and pass. He’ll be no good to us getting millions of dollars sitting on the DL.
Look, I am not dying to get Vlad in a Mets uniform, but I just think he is not as bad as you think. He is only 1 year removed from a good season, and he still hit 15 home runs last year in under 400 at bats. He still has power left. And you cannot compare him to Francoeur because Vlad can hit any pitch in virtually any spot as opposed to Francoeur who whiffs on the same pitches. He averages 60 walks per season and has never struck out triple digits ever.
And as far as him showing you nothing in the postseason, he is hitting .320 thus far. Pretty much every player on this planet would sign up for that.
stats are misleading. Vlad has been avg at best this post season
why on earth would you want a guy on the backe end of his career on a team that needs a POWER bat?
geez what do you people smoke?
the same stuff Omar’s been smoking his whole career. We’re just preparing for it early. lol (i dont want him, thats for sure (I mean Vlad, although that stands for Omar too lol))
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