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Indians Work Out Vladimir Guerrero
Vladimir Guerrero worked out in front of Indians scouts at the team's Dominican Republic academy, reports Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes Los Angeles. A club representative declined to confirm that the workout took place, but sources tell Rojas that Guerrero was fit and that the Tribe has "a genuine interest" in the veteran slugger.
Guerrero has received little interest from Major League teams this offseason but his agent Fern Cuza recently said his client wanted to play in 2012 and would even explore playing in Japan. Cleveland is known to be looking for a right-handed bat to help balance out its lefty-heavy lineup, but Guerrero is a defensive liability in the outfield and thus would be limited to being a part-time DH or as a pinch-hitter.
As I wrote last month for Roto Authority, the Indians are already juggling a number of options between their DH, first base and left field slots. Signing Guerrero to be part of a righty-lefty DH platoon with Travis Hafner would limit the playing time for Shelley Duncan and Matt LaPorta, but if Guerrero is able to recapture a bit of his old form, I think that's a sacrifice the Tribe would happily make. Guerrero is a career .322/.400/.572 hitter against left-handed pitching.
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