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01/14/2004 Archived Entry: "MLB News: Angels Land Guerrero"
MLB News by Eric Gartman
The Anaheim Angels surprised the baseball world this week, announcing a five-year, $70 million deal with free agent Vladimir Guerrero. Guerrero had been negotiating with the Baltimore Orioles, who were seen as the favorite to land him. Instead he goes to the Angels, who have had a great offseason, signing pitchers Bartolo Colon and Kelvim Escobar along with Vlad. Colon and Escobar give the Angels the depth they need in the bullpen to compete, while Guerrero adds a potent bat to their lineup. Guerrero will only be 28 next year, so he can be expected to produce for the duration of his deal. He has been extremely consistent over the past six years, and the only concern about him is a herniated disk which caused him to miss time last year. Nor is his price tag unreasonable considering his talent. Taken together, these signings may be enough to put the Angels on top in a tough Western division.
As for the Orioles, they missed out on Vlad, but have done quite well this offseason. They already signed Miguel Tejada and Javy Lopez, and recently added Rafael Palmeiro. These veterans will play alongside budding (and often overlooked) youngsters Jay Gibbons, Jerry Hairston, Brian Roberts, and Luis Matos. Offensively, this team will pack quite a punch. The pitching, however, looks thin. The O’s are said to be close to signing Sidney Ponson, but behind him they are untested. Oriole management thinks the youngsters they have will develop, and are thus not in a hurry to sign more veteran pitchers. The Orioles may not contend in 2004, but they will be a lot better, and perhaps not too far from competing again in the future.
Replies: 1 Comment
1. Adam Loewen
2. Denny Bautista
3. John Maine
4. Erik Bedard
5. Kurt Ainsworth
6. Matt Riley
The Orioles could have a staff to be reckoned with in a couple of years.
Posted by Tim from Baltimore @ 01/14/2004 09:20 PM EST
