Juan Gonzalez Wants Back In

It was bound to happen sooner or later - Igor, aka Juan Gonzalez, is attempting another return to the Majors.  Published reports in Puerto Rico named the Angels, Tigers, and Orioles as interested parties.  Update: the Orioles aren't interested after all.  And the Tigers denying interest as well.  Ah, there we go - the Angels are not pursuing him.  That was awesome - each team systematically denied any interest in Gonzalez within a few days of the rumor surfacing.

The slimmed-down Gonzalez spent last year in the Atlantic League and he's currently playing in the Caribbean Series.  Baseball Prospectus's Derek Jacques reports:

"Juan Gonzalez makes the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz look nimble and flexible. Watching him run the bases, I constantly expected to hear a loud snapping sound followed by a trail of body parts. Igor still has the long looping swing, but his bat speed isn't where he can really turn on Dessens' heat in the third. He's trying to cheat, and it just isn't working."

Last year, Gonzalez was said to be in the best condition of his life and supposedly drew interest from the Cubs, White Sox, Red Sox, Athletics, and Rockies.

Comments

[Guitar Hero]

He's done. Him and Sosa. At best they have slightly above average level of play left for a short amount of time, and then that's it.

[plh903]

God. He really should have taken that contract extension. What a clown. Just. Go. Away.

[nickjs21]

Just a couple of hours ago, I saw an at-bat Juan Gone had in the Venezuela vs. Puerto Rico game. I guess he was 4-for-6 in the series at that point, but he looked ugly. Nay, fugly. A few terrible swings and he was shortly walking back to the bench.

He still looks like he could kill me with one hand, though.

[basemonkey]

The Baltimore Sun columnist, Roch Kubatco, is reporting that the Orioles have said that this is completely false...the Orioles have no interest in Juan Gonzalez...

...even for a casual observer would see that the Orioles have too many contracts to DH/OF types to really do this...not saying that any of the guys they have are entrenched MVP types...but they did just sign Huff as a LF while already having Gibbons who has a hard-to-trade contract and the 4th OF is Payton...at CF and RF is Markakis and Patterson...Markakis is going nowhere...and, the rest of the OFs are all signed to contracts that require them to play...counting the bench, by signing Juan Gone, they would have 6 OFs...

http://blogs.baltimoresun.com/sports_custom_roch/2007/02/juan_gone.html

[nrmax88]

No1 ever said that the O's had the brighest ownership group though. If there is something stupid to be done in MLB, call ANgelos he is the man for the job. Or Tom Hicks, he always works too.

[basemonkey]

well, you can argue the intelligence of signing or not signing an aging vet...like, say, signing a Floyd-like caliber player with mixed package of health and age to a 20M/YR contract or something...but, it's not a question of intelligence to know that you've already spent your budget and you already have the outfield covered with depth that goes 2 players beyond the starters...

...to me, this sounds like a players' agent trying to throw out a rumor to generate some buzz for his client...and, the Orioles sound like a team that might usually be interested in a low risk/reward aging vet...the problem is that that agent didn't account for Baltimore's actual roster and contract situation...

[allabouthephils]

A team like the Royals could always use a story to draw some media and fan attention... A wash up, 38 year olds quest for 500 homeruns.... I've heard worse....

[nrmax88]

Signing Floyd is different. He has played recently against big league pitching. He has been hurt, not out of action, and I dont think there are any doubts about his hitting ability when he is healthy. JuanGon is like Sosa, you have no idea at all what your gonna get

[nrmax88]

Nevermind, didnt realize you were using it as a hypothetical

[basemonkey]

BTW, I am not defending Angelos one bit...nor do I think he's good for the Orioles once proud organization...but he was one of the more prominent owners in ending the strike in the 90s and refused to use replacement players...does he have a overbearing managing style?...very likely so...does he handcuff his baseball men who many of them were actually very good GMs?...definately...but, I just wanted to also suggest that it's not so cut and dry either...another point is that his hardline negotiation style was probably the central reason of how he got MLB to give his club probably one of the most absurdly imbalanced deals in the Orioles favor when the Nats moved to DC...the Orioles own TV rights to the whole area, own TV rights to the Nats, recieve cash payments from MLB and Nats, etc, etc...

...I guess now we know why he was able to be such a successful anti-Tobacco attorney...having a guy who fights for what he wants might be good when you're in negotiations...but, obviously it can be hard to work with the man when compromise is needed as in baseball operations issues with his GMs...

[Bleacher_Buddha]

As pointed out in previous postings, its silly for him to come to Baltimore. It would make more sense to go to another AL team. I cant say which one but if you sign him to a deal like Sosa where you give him a pittance IF he makes the 25 man then some incentives its not a bad deal. This is just a former star who wants to prove he has some gas in the tank. If he bombs at spring training it wont cost much.

Maybe the Twins could be a good fit. They could use a power bat. I mean Rondell White was resigned as their current DH I believe. Sign him and put him down in triple A... I'm pretty sure he would clear wavers and if Rondell gets hurt.. give him a few at bats. I imagine the Royals might be a fit for a deal like that too. Unless you have a minor leaguer who is playing better. I mean if they are playing winter ball AAA may not be so bad. Shoot it may put a few butts in the AAA seats?

But if he looks FUGLY as Nickjs21 said.... :-)

[jschiller]

I'd pay minor league prices just for the novelty of seeing Juan Gone. With prices for mlb games, it wouldn't be worth it... He's not Hank Aaron or something..

Remember the early Devil Rays teams.. How'd that work out for them?

[royaldaddy]

We already had this loser!! Allard Baird signed him and Benito Santiago (another juicing loser) in the offseason after our Central division run in 2003. He was supposed to be the missing piece for us to make the playoffs. Yeah, it worked out real well. He played in about 30 games and looked like an idiot when he did play. Then, in 2005, he played 1 game for the Indians and missed the rest of the year due to "injury". Juan Gone is a lazy, worthless steroid user and he couldn't even play in the Venezuelan Penis League. I wouldn't hire that guy to clean my toilets.

[NothinG]

As a rangers fan, I hope the angels take juan gone. he's in the best shape of his life.....ha ha ha ha ha!

[nrmax88]

A ranger fan cracking jokes on the angels. OHhhhhh, the irony!