Thursday, November 29, 2007 |
Robothal: Angels To Extend Vlad
If the Angels land Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera, it will give them enough offense to trade center fielder Gary Matthews Jr. Yet, even though Matthews has been displaced in center field by Torii Hunter, he remains valuable to the Angels due to the physical questions surrounding Vladimir Guerrero and Garret Anderson.Manager Mike Scioscia prefers to rotate his DH, and Guerrero, 31, started only 108 games in right field last season. That number could drop further next season — Guerrero would benefit from cleanup procedures on his right shoulder and right knee, but is reluctant to undergo any type of surgery, industry sources to say.
Opponents no longer are afraid to run on Guerrero — his assist totals have dropped from 13 to eight to seven to five over the past four seasons. He often has difficulty stopping when chasing flyballs down the right-field line. His release isn't the quickest, and his throws are frequently inaccurate.
Angels owner Arte Moreno, however, plans to extend Guerrero's contract to bring it more in line with Hunter's, sources say. Guerrero will earn $14.5 million next season and the Angels hold a $15 million option on him for 2009. Hunter is earning $18 million per season under his new deal.
Labels: angels, transactions
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