In an attempt to lower their salary bill or simply find some young talent to fill up the depleted ranks, the Los Angeles Dodgers are looking if someone is willing to trade with them for Alex Guerrero. It might happen with the Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels.
The 29-year old has two more years left on his deal worth $15 million in total. While he has shown the occasional power surge and streak of some good hitting, overall he has been struggling to get on base (.261 OBP), batting .233 in 106 games for the Dodgers in 2015 while posting a .695 OPS. He had 11 home runs and 36 RBIs in 230 plate appearances, which suggests the American League and a DH position could be the thing for him, considering his defense isn’t too hot either.
Why trade him now? His contract doesn’t match his contribution to a team that has enough hitting talent, but he’s also pretty easy to move. If he does get traded, it gives him the option of opting out of the final year on his deal. With the Dodgers unable to send him to the minors without his consent and their abundance in infield and corner outfield hitting talent, it just makes more sense to try and move a player who probably could have used some more time developing in the minors.
In Cuba, where he wasn’t used sparingly and erratically, he had a much easier time posting good hitting lines with a .303/.386/.528 career line and during his short time in the minors, although again, not showing patience at the plate and the ability to draw walks (.333/.373/.621). Guerrero had that weird sideline incident in 2014 with Miguel Olivo who bit a piece of his ear off which provided more incentive to push him to the majors after his six weeks of being sidelined.
So where does he end up? A team with infield needs and not a lot of money to spend. The Indians are still looking to make something happen and could go for him, and so would the Angels, who aren’t eager to be the biggest spenders around anymore. The Royals, although less likely, could also be making a move for Guerrero, who is still an intriguing prospect and project that might need a different surrounding in order to post some better numbers, and bring up his production to match the value of his contract.