Looking at the 2011 stats, the conclusion from the seasons that then Tampa Bay OF Johnny Damon, Oakland's Hideki Matsui and Baltimore's Vladimir Guerrero had were that they could all still play. None of the three showed a sign they were finished. Yet, no team had any interest in even bringing either of the three to spring training in 2012.
Damon hit .261, 16, 73 in 155 games with Tampa Bay last season. To me, those numbers hardly prove he is finished as a player. Yet, he was not worthy of a contract offer until he was signed by the Cleveland Indians. His .222, 4, 19 line in 207 ABs got him DFA'd by the Indians, but I think he would be a valuable pick-up for an AL playoff contending team. Obviously the Indians have fallen from contention, but teams like Oakland, Baltimore and even the Yankees could benefit from adding Damon. At age 38, he may have the most to offer of the three at this point.
Matsui, however, was on a decline when he played for Oakland last season. He hit .251, 12, 72 in 141 games. All numbers were career lows. He was signed by Tampa Bay and proved he is just about finished. A .147 (14-95), 2, 7 line is enough proof that perhaps all teams were correct not offering him a contract. I would be surprised if Matsui played again.
Guerrero interests me. In 2010, he hit .300, 29, 115 in 152 games for the American League Champion Texas Rangers. He did tail off a little bit in 2011 with the Orioles, hitting .290, 13, 63 in 145 games. While Matsui saw his average drop from .274 to .251, Guerrero's dropped from .300 to .290. In my opinion, he should have gotten a chance this season to see if he still has it. Toronto signed him to a minor league contract, only for Guerrero to opt out when the deadline passed for him to be in the majors.
I want to bring up the possibility of collusion amongst AL teams and their lack of a pursuit of proven DHs. I understand why Matsui was not signed, but Damon and Guerrero were worth guaranteed contracts to start the 2012 season. Yes Damon struggled in Cleveland and Guerrero has not played this season, but several teams have used less productive options in their place. Teams like Oakland and Detroit have settled for using Johnny Gomes and Delmon Young, respectively. Both are still capable of playing the OF and both teams could use either in a corner spot. Teams like the Yankees have chosen to rotate players in rather than use a full time DH. I'm curious to see if it is a coincidence that teams have simultaneously chosen to both settle for lesser alternatives and rotate players at the position. Or, is it a matter of teams deciding it is time to stop paying DHs the money they deserve. The Red Sox have even played hardball with David Ortiz, a sign that I might be on to something with this collusion thing.
Guerrero interests me. In 2010, he hit .300, 29, 115 in 152 games for the American League Champion Texas Rangers. He did tail off a little bit in 2011 with the Orioles, hitting .290, 13, 63 in 145 games. While Matsui saw his average drop from .274 to .251, Guerrero's dropped from .300 to .290. In my opinion, he should have gotten a chance this season to see if he still has it. Toronto signed him to a minor league contract, only for Guerrero to opt out when the deadline passed for him to be in the majors.
I want to bring up the possibility of collusion amongst AL teams and their lack of a pursuit of proven DHs. I understand why Matsui was not signed, but Damon and Guerrero were worth guaranteed contracts to start the 2012 season. Yes Damon struggled in Cleveland and Guerrero has not played this season, but several teams have used less productive options in their place. Teams like Oakland and Detroit have settled for using Johnny Gomes and Delmon Young, respectively. Both are still capable of playing the OF and both teams could use either in a corner spot. Teams like the Yankees have chosen to rotate players in rather than use a full time DH. I'm curious to see if it is a coincidence that teams have simultaneously chosen to both settle for lesser alternatives and rotate players at the position. Or, is it a matter of teams deciding it is time to stop paying DHs the money they deserve. The Red Sox have even played hardball with David Ortiz, a sign that I might be on to something with this collusion thing.
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