According to reports, Vladimir Guerrero is being pursued by the Baltimore Orioles and any contract offered will certainly be something to envy. The Montreal Expos slugger is one of the leading free agents in the Major League Baseball marketplace.
Young shortstop Angel Berroa of the Kansas City Royals won the Rookie of the Year award for the American League. His manager, Tony Pena, is a practical shoo-in for the Manager of the Year in the American League and Felipe Alou is in the running for an award in the National League, although pundits predict it will go to Jack McKeon of the Florida Marlins.
Figures like Alex Rodriguez (Arod) and outfielder Manny Ramirez are among the stars being offered for trade or on waivers. Any team in baseball would want Arod, except the Yankees and Boston. Ramirez might have a bit more trouble finding a home, given his penchant for mouthing off.
As reported in Hoy newspaper today, Dominican ballplayers are among the most sought after in the sport. The Top 50 Free Agents include Bartolo Colon, the great Chicago White Sox pitcher, Miguel Tejada, the American League MVP in 2002, Jose Cruz, the Cubs pitcher, Raul Mondesi and Jose Mesa, the big reliever. Also on the list is shortstop Luis Castillo of the World Champion Florida Marlins. Castillo was a .314 hitter in 2003 and won a Gold Glove for his fielding. Number 26 on the list is Miguel Batista from the Arizona Diamond Backs, who, in addition to being a 10-game winner, had an ERA of less than 4.00. Jose Guillen of the Oakland As had the best year of his career, but finished the season with injuries that affected his performance.