Angels swoop in to nab Vladimir Guerrero

Guerrero, Martinez win "Player of the Month Awards" (April 2001).

Latino Legends in Sports News.

Angels swoop in to nab Vladimir Guerrero.

Written by Nelson Ortiz, Latinosportslegends.com

Update: Outfielder Vladimir Guerrero passed his physical Monday and finalized his $70 million, five-year contract with the Anaheim Angels.

January 12, 2004 -- All-Star outfielder, Vladimir Guerrero will be wearing a new uniform this season.

The Anaheim Angels signed Guerrero over the weekend to a reported $70 million, five-year contract, snatching him away from the NY Mets and the Baltimore Orioles.

On Saturday, Guerrero rejected a three-year contract offer worth between $35 and $40 million from the New York Mets and a five-year offer worth $67.5 million from the Orioles.

Guerrero, a native of the Dominican Republic, hit .330 with 25 homers and 79 RBI over 112 games last season. He missed nearly six weeks in the middle of the year due to a herniated disc in his lower back. Before the injury-plagued season, he had at least 30 homers and 100 RBI in five straight seasons. He also possesses one of the game's strongest arms in right field.

Since breaking into the majors in 1996 with the Expos, Guerrero has hit .323 with 234 homers and 702 RBI.

"Guerrero is coming into L.A., and will be undergoing a physical," Angels general manager Bill Stoneman said Sunday. "We've got a deal contingent on the physical."

Guerrero would join an already crowded outfield in Anaheim with Garret Anderson in left, Darin Erstad in centre and Tim Salmon in right. However, it's likely Salmon would move full time to designated hitter. There's also talk that Erstad could move to first base, a position he played for the Angels early in his career.