The Vladimir Guerrero Effect: MLB Players Teams Wish They Kept for 2010
Regret. It is an emotion felt by Major League teams year after year when they see a player that they either hastily traded away, released, or didn't pursue in free agency produce on a team other than their own.
2010 has forced some teams in enduring all of the above. In many instances, a team is certain that a free agent must move on. Sometimes the player proves that team wrong. Vladimir Guerrero is the best example of that in 2010, amongst others.
Sometimes a prospect is traded that could be of use to a team. Or sometimes a complete unknown puts together excellent efforts, causing his former team to shake their heads over all the irony.
Including Rangers outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, here are 10 players from the 2010 season that have made their previous teams wish that they held onto them.
Adrian Beltre
1 of 10
2009 team: Seattle Mariners
2010 team: Boston Red Sox
The Seattle Mariners probably wish that they drove harder for Adrian Beltre after he elected to enter free agency. His departure left a gaping hole in the team's lineup, and it sticks out like a sore thumb, even more considering the numbers that he is putting up with the Red Sox this year.
Despite a very weak 2009 that saw Beltre hit just eight home runs and bat .265, he's completely turned things around in Boston, much to the jealousy of the disappointed Mariners.
The Seattle Mariners are second to last in home runs in 2010 with just 80. Beltre, on his own in Boston, has hit 23. He is hitting .323, indicating how badly the Mariners have missed out on his offense.
R.A. Dickey
2 of 10
2009 team: Minnesota Twins
2010 team: New York Mets
Of all the shocking developments in baseball in 2010, the success story of journeyman knuckleballer R.A. Dickey could easily be the most unexpected. In 2009, Dickey appeared in 35 games for the Twins, and was barely utilized as a starter. The Twins obviously had no idea what the future had in store, so they can't be blamed for not sending out a spring training invite to the 35 year-old pitcher.
At this point however, the Twins have to be wishing that they retained him, just for irony's sake. Dickey has had a career year as a starter in the Mets rotation. He's mixing his pitches and speeds very well and is having one of the most effective knuckleball seasons in recent memory.
The Twins can only tip their caps at Dickey's 2010 line: 8-5, 2.41 ERA, 18 starts, 77 strikeouts, 1.15 WHIP.
Jon Garland
3 of 10
2009 teams: Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers
2010 team: San Diego Padres
When will Jon Garland ever settle in with a team? The answer, at this rate, is probably never. The journeyman is in the middle of an NL West tour. Its surprising that the Dodgers didn't work harder to bring him back for 2010. He's been surprisingly consistent throughout his career, and this year is no exception. Also, the Dodgers seem to be starved for pitching at times.
Garland's 3-2 record and 2.72 ERA in six 2009 starts for the Dodgers clearly wasn't enough to prove that he could pitch with consistency. The respectable numbers have carried over into 2010 where he has posted a 13-8 record in 26 starts with a 3.25 ERA and 104 k's.
The Dodgers are be wishing that they did not decline Garland's $10 million option after the 2009 season.
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Vladimir Guerrero
4 of 10
2009 team: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2010 team: Texas Rangers
Vlad is the prime suspect of this list. He is making the Angels severely pay for allowing him to walk to another team within the AL West. Now the tables have turned, and Guerrero remains with a winning organization.
Concerned about his age and possible declining ability, the Angels watched Guerrero enter the free agent market from the sidelines. He ended up signing a one-year $5.5 million deal with their biggest competition, the Texas Rangers. Guerrero has only helped solidify their contending status.
He's putting up exponentially greater numbers in 2010, with 22 home runs, 92 rbi, and a .299 batting average. He is in the process of leading a post-season charge with the Rangers, while leaving his former team in the dust and potentially needing to rebuild.
Austin Jackson
5 of 10
2009 team: New York Yankees
2010 team: Detroit Tigers
Looking to ultimately bolster their outfield, the Yankees surrendered Austin Jackson to the Tigers as part of a three-team deal in which Detroit shipped star center fielder Curtis Granderson to the Bronx. The Yankees are probably content with the star power that Granderson can bring, but that doesn't take away from how it may not have been the best move.
Granderson is underachieving quite a bit this year, and with his power, he could definitely be taking greater advantage of Yankee Stadium. He hasn't quite come through like Austin Jackson has in Detroit.
As a rookie in Detroit this year, Jackson has been bit by the strikeout bug. But that can't take away from all the hits he has collected. He has put up 144 hits while batting .308, despite leading the AL in strikeouts. Either way, he has many more hits than Granderson and has done a better job of staying healthy.
The Yankees could be wondering what things would be like if Jackson was still wearing pinstripes.
John Lackey
6 of 10
2009 team: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2010 team: Boston Red Sox
It isn't that Lackey is having a particularly good 2010, it is more because of what has become of the Angels. They have gone from a perennial playoff threat to one of the most least intimidating teams out in the AL West. Lackey certainly provided that Angels' rotation with leadership.
Lackey's 2010 hasn't been quite what the Red Sox expected, but the Angels have gaping holes in their pitching staff and seem to be heading towards a rebuilding phase, even after the freak injury to Kendry Morales. At least if they retained Lackey, there would be another familiar face that is used to bouncing back into contention.
Cliff Lee
7 of 10
2009 teams: Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies
2010 teams: Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers
The Phillies have spent the greater majority of 2010 in a very banged up state. They established that they needed some extra pitching help, to hold things together. Why not target some pitchers via trade? Who better to go after than Cliff Lee, the same exact pitcher they hastily moved in the offseason?
They should have just held onto him. Instead, they have a handful of underachieving prospects that they acquired from the Mariners.
Looking up in the standings, the Phillies have to wonder if they'd have the division lead if Cliff Lee had stayed put to begin with. Lee is leading the AL with seven complete games in 2010.
Miguel Olivo
8 of 10
2009 team: Kansas City Royals
2010 team: Colorado Rockies
Including Olivo on this list could be a bit of a stretch, but it is kind of surprising that the Royals would pass up a productive catcher. After declining his option, the Royals watched Olivo enter free agency and sign a deal with the Colorado Rockies.
He hit 23 home runs in Kansas City last year. For a catcher, the Royals haven't seen that kind of production in years. The Royals could have made use of his bat by helping raise the young hitters. He would've likely continued to produce anyways. This year, his batting has risen. He's hitting .278 with 13 HR after a red hot first half of the season.
It just seems weird that the Royals would opt for someone like Jason Kendall over Olivo, regardless of any contractual situations.
Scott Podsednik
9 of 10
2009 team: Chicago White Sox
2010 teams: Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers
Podsednik doesn't seem to be receiving much credit for really getting his game back together. He fell off the map for a couple of years and resurfaced with the Chicago White Sox in 2009. He burst back onto the scene with a .304 average and 30 stolen bases.
He ended up leaving via free agency and signing with the Royals who traded him to the Dodgers before the 2010 trade deadline. His numbers this year are still impressive. He's batting .303 with 34 steals.
Sure the White Sox have their speed with Juan Pierre in the outfield, but Podsednik would bring more flexibility to the bench, especially because his bat has begun to come around again.
Brett Wallace
10 of 10
2009 team: Oakland Athletics
2010 teams: Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros
Bear in mind, Wallace has yet to put up the big numbers down in Houston, but his AAA line from this season was impressive. Before being traded to the Astros, Wallace appeared in 95 games at Blue Jays' AAA affiliate Las Vegas. He hit .301 with 18 home runs and 61 rbi.
He is on the fast track to big league stardom, and it was interesting to see the A's trade him to Toronto for prospective outfielder, Michael Taylor who has been less than stellar at the plate at AAA this year. Wallace was the key piece in the deal that sent Matt Holliday to St. Louis. With Wallace, the A's had two power hitting prospects in him and first baseman/outfielder Chris Carter.
It could have been expected to see these two develop together to grow into the power tandem that Oakland hasn't seen since the Giambi and Tejada era, but they dealt Wallace for Taylor. A surprising move for Oakland, as they watched Wallace get traded to Houston from afar where he is getting some well-deserved experience at the Major League level.
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