The Baltimore Orioles have agreed to a one-year, $8 million contract with notorious slugger and possible future Hall-of-Famer Vladimir Guerrero.
And we all thought Andy MacPhail wouldn't raise the offer.
Now, I'm not going to go all "Vlad is the 2011 Orioles' savior" on you. But there is no doubt that his addition will help the Orioles win a few more games this coming season, as long as he stays healthy and hits, which he always seems to do as long as he's standing in the batter's box.
With this signing, the Orioles' projected 2011 lineup automatically becomes one of the best in the league. Along with Vlad, the O's have added first baseman Derrek Lee, shortstop J.J. Hardy, and homer-but-strikeout-prone third baseman Mark Reynolds.
Putting Vlad in the middle of the likes of right fielder Nick Markakis, Lee, Reynolds and left fielder Luke Scott fleshes out the lineup beyond belief, taking pressure off of the young bats like Markakis, Hardy, center fielder Adam Jones and catcher Matt Wieters. On top of all that, Lee will be getting some help in the "veteran presence in the lineup" department.
Slotting Vladdy into the DH spot pushes Scott onto the field, and while some may see that as a problem, Scott isn't a terrible defensive option out there in left. He's a lot better than most people assume, maybe even slightly above league average. I'll tell you one thing—he's a way better option than players like Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon or even former Oriole Jay Gibbons.
Those who call for the trade of Scott now that the Orioles have Vlad are missing the point of the singing: Vlad adds a legitimate cleanup hitter to an already pretty good offense on paper, and trading Scott—a very nice complementary piece in a lineup such as the one the Orioles would be putting on the field on Opening Day—would almost completely negate the signing of Guerrero.
While Vlad very obviously swings a better bat than Scott, trading a guy who will put up a line of .260-.280/20-30 HR/60-80 RBI year in and year out for a one-year rental, who is a lot younger than the one-year rental, wouldn't make any sense, and it would leave the lineup with only two possible everyday left-handed bats in Markakis and Felix Pie. As it is, the lineup will probably only have two left-handers with Scott here, though Brian Roberts and Wieters are both switch-hitters.
And just as Scott complements Vlad, Vlad compliments Reynolds. Being a serious 40-homer threat, Reynolds will provide exciting power the Orioles and their fans haven't seen in years. He will leave fans on the edge of their seats waiting to see if he ties the game up late with a three-run bomb into the left-field bleachers...or simply strikes out.
Having struck out over 200 times in each of the past three seasons, something that no other player in baseball history has achieved (for lack of a better word) even once in a season, it's almost literally "homer or K" with this guy.
But with all the free-swinging Vlad does that he's known for, he's never reached 100 strikeouts in a single season, topping out at 95 in 1998 and walking back to the dugout from the batter's box only 60 times last year in 643 plate appearances. How's that for having a batter to offset Reynold's insane strikeout numbers while still providing great production?
Vlad won't only help Reynolds, though. No, he'll help the order one through nine, taking pressure off every other batter in the lineup and giving them better pitches to hit. Pitchers don't want to pitch to guys like Vlad, so they'll pitch to the batters in front of him—be it Markakis or Lee or Reynolds—hoping to get them out so that either they don't have to face Vlad that inning or won't have runners on when they do. He adds fear to a lineup full of good hitters who can use that extra little boost to receive better pitches to drive.
And while he'll be helping the rest of the batting order, especially the young guns to perform up to those oh-so-high expectations, he'll also be helping the pitchers' mental games.
The pitchers, who are mainly young guys who have high ceilings, will feel so much better knowing they have a great offensive lineup to back them up with they make any mistakes. They'll feel like they can win without having to be perfect, which I'm sure they didn't feel much of last season, when the Orioles had one of the most anorexic lineups in the majors.
That's not to take away from any of the guys who have been added already, but Vlad only contributes more to that secure mental feeling for the pitching staff.
I've acknowledged the fact that he probably won't be as good as he was in 2010, but even if he can be good, which we all know is probable being that he always hits, he'll be a great offensive addition to the lineup.
Mentality goes a long way, and if I'm anyone who will be on the Orioles' Opening Day roster, I'm feeling like this team can make a serious run at the AL Wild Card this season.
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