Vlad Back In Texas?

So Vladimir Guerrero is a free agent and the big question is will he return to the Texas Rangers? The answer itself is pretty complicated. Vladdy is looking for a multi-year deal after showing he still does have some life left in his bat. The Rangers well, they aren’t to high on that idea as he faded badly down the stretch.

@SI_JonHeyman: the #rangers want vladimir guerrero back but word is they are disinclined to give him the 2-3 years he seeks. #DHmarket

While the two sides will play chicken for a while, I do think Vladimir will wind up back in Texas. The reason, I highly doubt any team in baseball would be willing to offer him a multi-year deal. Here’s why.

Yes, Vladimir had a great year in his first season as a full-time designated hitter. He batted .300 with 29 homers and 115 rbis. Nice numbers but were they? Look at his splits.

Pre-All Star break – .319 avg with 20 homers and 75 rbis.
Post-All Star break – .278 avg with 9 homers and 40 rbis.
Postseason – .220 avg with 0 homers and 6 rbis over 59 at-bats.

So obviously you can tell he flopped big time down the stretch. Disagree? Here’s more. He played in his most games, 152 since 2006, with all but 18 coming from the DH position. When you add that into the mix its obvious he just ran out of gas. He just doesn’t have the stamina for a full season as he did earlier in his career.

At the age of 35, he’s shown that he can still be a very productive MLB player but he’s not going to put up the big numbers if he’s an everyday guy.

Knowing that, I don’t believe any team will be willing to give him that multi-year deal and because of that he’ll wind up signing a one-year deal with the Rangers.

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Tags: MLB, Texas Rangers, Vladimir Guerrero