Guerrero completes deal with Texas Rangers

[February 04, 2010]  ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Vladimir Guerrero will now be hitting in the middle of the lineup for the Texas Rangers instead of doing damage against them.

Guerrero and the Rangers finalized a one-year contract Monday that guarantees him $6.5 million and includes a mutual option for 2011.

"I feel good that I've had a lot of success hitting here and I'm hoping to help the team win and stay healthy and do the same things I've done in the past on this field," Guerrero said through an interpreter during his introduction. "I've been well for the last couple of months and I'm just hoping to be healthy in 2010."

The eight-time All-Star and former AL MVP passed a physical. His deal calls for a $5.5 million salary this year and has a $1 million buyout of the option year.

Guerrero helped lead the Angels to five AL West titles the past six years and was the AL MVP in 2004, his first season in Los Angeles after beginning his career with Montreal from 1996-2003. He is a .396 career hitter against Texas, which finished second in the West last season, 10 games behind Los Angeles.

The Angels showed little interest in retaining Guerrero, who had two stints on the disabled list last season (torn right pectoral muscle and strained left knee) and turns 35 next month. Los Angeles signed free-agent slugger Hideki Matsui and kept Bobby Abreu with a $19 million, two-year contract.

Guerrero is a career .321 hitter with 407 homers and 1,318 RBIs in 1,850 career games. He is a .394 career hitter at Rangers Ballpark, with 14 homers and 33 RBIs in 50 games at his new home.

"We've been on the bad end of this man's bat for the last six years, taking some serious beatings from him," general manager Jon Daniels said. "I think we're pretty excited to see him dole some of those out in our uniform."

Guerrero, who will primarily be the designated hitter but still play some outfield, fills one of the Rangers' biggest offseason wants with a powerful right-handed bat for the middle of the lineup with Michael Young and Josh Hamilton. The Rangers lost outfielder Marlon Byrd in free agency to the Chicago Cubs.

"I've never been beat up by a player like what Vlad had done to us over the years," Young said. "Our entire team is excited to have him aboard."

In the first 44 games of his career against Texas, Guerrero had one of baseball's most peculiar streaks: a 44-game hitting streak from 2004-06, the longest stretch by any player against one team since at least 1957.

Plagued by the injuries last season, Guerrero hit .295 with 15 homers and 50 RBIs in 100 games, all his lowest totals since he was a rookie for the Expos in 1997 and missed 52 games because of three DL stints.

"I don't feel like I need to prove anything, just do my job," Guerrero said.

Asked if he considered himself a DH, Guerrero said he was "not ready to make that commitment in my head" but understands the Rangers' plans.

"The whole key is that we're going to do whatever we have to do to keep him healthy," said manager Ron Washington, adding the slugger would play the outfield "here and there."

Also, free agent Khalil Greene reached an agreement on a one-year deal to become the Rangers' utility infielder. Two people familiar with those negotiations told The Associated Press about Greene's deal, speaking on condition of anonymity because the contract will not be finalized until Greene takes a physical later this week.

Texas needs a utility infielder who can play shortstop after free agent Omar Vizquel left for a $1.4 million deal with the White Sox in November. Greene has played 678 games at shortstop, and his only 16 games at third base came last season with St. Louis.

Greene hit .200 with six homers in 77 games for the Cardinals last season. Before that, he was the starting shortstop for San Diego from 2004-08.

Greene was acquired by St. Louis from San Diego last winter, then struggled and twice last summer went on the disabled list with social anxiety disorder. He lost his starting job at shortstop, then the Cardinals used him some at third base.

His final season with San Diego was cut short when he broke his left hand after punching a wall near the dugout in July 2008. He played only 105 games that season.

The 30-year-old Greene, a first-round pick by the Padres in the 2002 draft, is a .245 career hitter in 736 games the past seven seasons. He has a .975 career fielding average, and had only 11 errors in 153 starts at shortstop in 2007 for San Diego.

[Associated Press; By STEPHEN HAWKINS]

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.