The Guerrero Situation

There has been a great many rumors swirling around the baseball world about Vladimir Guerrero coming to play in Baltimore. Jim Bowden reported that he was close to accepting a "humbling" deal with the Orioles, while Andy MacPhail quickly responded and dismissed said rumors.

MacPhail dismissed the thought of actively pursuing Guerrero so quickly, it almost gives a certain sense of credibility to the rumor. The question remains: To what extent would bringing Vladimir Guerrero to Baltimore help the Orioles?

Let us examine the possible outcomes if Vlad the Impaler found himself in an O's uniform.

1. The addition of another feared and respected bat. In 2010 Vlad put up impressive numbers for a 35 year old, with an average of .300, 29 Home Runs, and 115 RBI. Those are solid numbers for any DH regardless of age, a bat like that would solidify the Orioles lineup.

2. Added Depth. Signing Guerrero to play as DH gives the Orioles a good deal of depth in their roster, this would force Scott to LF and Reimold down to AAA to get some extra at bats, and earn his playing time in the big leagues. Signing Vlad does not force Front Office to trade Luke Scott, but rather move him to LF defensively this would be a downgrade, but Pie would still be a viable fourht outfielder who could provide some pop off the bench and run for Guerrero when he needs it.

3. Small Commitment. A deal with Guerrero would be one year most likely, two years at the max, especially with Andy Macphail negotiating the deal. At that length of time, the Orioles lose very little by investing in him.

4. Trade Bait. If things don't work out between Vlad and the Orioles, then Guerrero makes for a good piece of deadline trade bait for a team looking for a little extra pop off the bench. In my opinion, the starting pitcher you would get for Vlad would be better quality than what you could sign in the offseason.

5. Injuries. The Orioles always have a pretty promising outlook for the upcoming season around February, before they are riddled with injuries. It's a matter of fact that there will be injuries throughout the season, and having Guerrero there should help offset whatever injuries there are, hopefully they won't be in the infield.

At the end of the day if they pass up, its not much of a loss, but the Orioles should at least get another quality innings eater, I suggest taking a gamble on Justin Duscherer and bringning back Kevin Millwood, who pitched 190 innings with a 2.03 K/BB ratio, he could rebound this year with better run support.