Vladimir Guerrero Signs with Toronto

Vladimir Guerrero may be headed back to Canada, the place where his career started.  The powerful right-handed hitter has signed a minor league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays could be hoping that Vlad starts at DH against lefties, moving hot hitter Edwin Encarnacion to first base.  However, last season with Baltimore showed that Vlad may have lost some punch against southpaws.

Click image to enlargeGuerrero batted .288 in 161 plate appearances versus lefties last season, however he hit just two home runs.  His slugging percentage against LHP was down from .536 in 2010 to .386 in 2011.

It's probably not likely that Vlad will be an everyday player for the Jays, but his numbers versus LHP are cause for concern.  Unless he shows that he can still hit for power again, he may not be much of an upgrade for the Jays in the long run, even with Adam Lind struggling.