Conflicting Reports on Vladimir Guerrero

The last day or two has brought conflicting reports on whether or not the Orioles are close to signing Vladimir Guerrero. Could it be Andy MacPhail and the Orioles will sign another veteran slugger?

Jim Bowden with MLB Network Radio was reporting yesterday the Orioles were close to signing Guerrero to a one year deal that Bowden described as humbling for Guerrero. For the record, if Bowden whiffs on this one that would make him 0 for 2 on Orioles rumors alone this offseason. Bowden also said the Orioles made an aggressive offer for Paul Konerko which was off the mark.

Andy MacPhail has since told MASNsports.com’s Steve Melewski that those reports aren’t true and the Orioles haven’t had discussions with Guerrero’s agent recently. MacPhail hasn’t ruled out the possibility, but it certainly isn’t a sure bet like Bowden was making it seem.
I’m sure if the Orioles do sign Guerrero there will be a lot of strong opinions, one way or another, from Orioles fans. The move would certainly improve the Orioles lineup even more and possibly lead to a trade.

I won’t bother going into the pros and cons of signing Guerrero unless the signing actually happens. Although, I will say the thought of bringing on another slugger definitely makes the Orioles much more interesting.

Andy MacPhail and the Orioles have never ruled out signing another slugger although it always seemed like a long shot. However, it seems much more likely now that Guerrero’s price has come down. Guerrero has lost some suitors recently. The Rays and Blue Jays are probably out of the picture now after both acquiring multiple sluggers. The Rangers have Michael Young at DH now, so they don’t seem to be an option anymore. The Angels most likely are going to have Bobby Abreu DH full time, which leaves the Orioles as the most obvious choice. However, any of these teams could do what the Orioles are considering doing and just sign Guerrero and worry about the logjam later.

If the Orioles do end up signing Guerrero it will make things a whole lot more interesting for fans, but at this point it doesn’t seem as likely to happen as Jim Bowden would like people to think. Fans will just have to wait and see how this plays out.