Vladimir Guerrero Signs With The Blue Jays

According to MLB Trade Rumors, the Toronto Blue Jays have signed Vladimir Guerreroto a minor league deal. The deal is reportedly worth 1.3M dollars, however, Guerrero will only get the prorated portion that deal when he gets to the major leagues. So, depending on when Guerrero is ready and arrives, the Jays might get themselves a pretty cheap veteran bat to help out a struggling offense.

How does this relate to the Tigers? Well, the Blue Jays look like they might be a competitor for that extra wild card for one. Two, if you haven’t noticed, the Tigers offense has been struggling mightily as well, and it happens to be that Delmon Young isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire with his bat.

At 37 years old, it will be interesting to see how much Guerrero has left, but at the price he signed for, he is certainly worth the gamble. Last year, for A.L. East opponent Baltimore, Guerrero hit a very respectable .290, but his power numbers took quite a hit. Guerrero only hit 13 home runs last season, posting an OPS of .733, just one season after posting an OPS of .841. It’s difficult to say with any certainty if that was an aging issue, or just not playing his home games in Texas where the ball flies out with regularity in the summer. Baltimore isn’t exactly unfriendly hitters park either.

I contended in an article right before the start of the season that Guerrero could potentially be a fit for the Tigers. The early offensive struggles so far, have made that look a little prophetic. Thus far, the Tigers have struggled against left-handed pitching, hitting only .231 with an OPS of .662. What’s worse is right handed batters on the Tigers versus left handers are only hitting .204 on the season. Guerrero has mashed left-handed pitching over his career to the tune of a .972 OPS.

That is something the Tigers could use right now.