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Closing Time: Is gridlock clearing for Alex Guerrero?

Closing Time: Is gridlock clearing for Alex Guerrero?

While you were chilling and grilling on the Memorial Day weekend, Alex Guerrero was doing what he usually does: clocking home runs for the Dodgers. And maybe it’s time his organization loved him back, a little bit.

Guerrero’s seventh homer of the season came in Sunday’s loss to San Diego (nice catch, Zapruder). He was back on the bench for Monday’s series opener with Atlanta, an ultimate victory that was in part sparked by Guerrero’s pinch-hit home run. This guy is a walking souvenir dispenser.

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Guerrero now sports a .309/.337/.679 slash, and those eight home runs have come on a modest 80 at-bats. He’s not walking much and he doesn’t profile favorably at any defensive position, but in the shape of today’s game, how can teams ignore this type of power? Guerrero is also hitting over .300 against both lefties and righties.

It appears the Dodgers are at least open to freeing up some third-base time, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

Juan Uribe has been L.A.’s main third baseman this year, and he’s long been a Don Mattingly favorite because of his defense and clubhouse presence. Those are nice things to have, but Uribe’s .247/.287/.309 slash is a drain on the offense, and he turned 36 in March. Justin Turner has been handy in 83 at-bats (.289/.379/.542), but the Dodgers seem to prefer him in a utility role.

For the season, here’s how Mattingly has divvied up his third base starts: Uribe 22, Turner 14, Guerrero eight. To be fair, Uribe hasn’t been playing much lately. Over the past 17 games, the lineup card shakes down this way: Turner eight, Uribe five, Guerrero four. But even if Guerrero were to play about half the time, that would sure make him interesting in a lot of deeper fantasy leagues.

Maybe a deal involving Uribe will go down and maybe it won’t, but at least it represents the idea that the Dodgers might be considering a third-base shift. To be fair, perhaps it isn't with Guerrero in mind.

Let’s recall the deep-pocketed Dodgers signed Cuban infielder Hector Olivera to a six-year, $62.5 million deal a week ago, an agreement that was in place for a couple of months. Elbow concerns held the transaction up for a while, but Olivera apparently checked out fine when the Dodgers examined him in mid-May. (The Dodgers also have highly-regarded 21-year-old infield prospect Corey Seager at Triple-A, though he's just 22 games into that level and has a .654 OPS this year. He's been playing mostly short, along with some third.)

The Dodgers must see Olivera as someone just about MLB-ready, given that he turned 30 in April. When the deal was complete, Olivera posited that he’d need about 3-4 weeks to be ready for the majors. He was a second baseman in Cuba, but obviously L.A. already has an answer there with Howie Kendrick. Perhaps a Uribe deal would be with Olivera in mind.

You can’t add Olivera in Yahoo leagues as of yet - he won’t be eligible until he plays in a game - but Guerrero is still unclaimed in two-thirds of the pool. Given that Guerrero is already in the fold and has shown what he can do, I’d recommend picking him up where you can, see where the story goes.

Cheap speed? Excellent (Groening)
Cheap speed? Excellent (Groening)

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I’m surprised it’s taken so long for the Billy Burns story to get fantasy traction. Burns took the collar in Monday’s victory over Detroit, but he stole bases in his three prior games (along with a surprising home run).

Burns is batting .294 with a .341 OPB, he’s stolen seven bases over just 91 plate appearances, and the A’s like him at the top of their lineup. And let’s not forget this is someone who swiped 54 bases in the minors last year, over a modest 119 games. Perhaps Burns didn't tear up the minor leagues offensively, but his overall Bush League slash comes out to .289/.387/.357. There's ability here.

Coco Crisp (neck) is currently on the disabled list, and every context clue points to him missing far more than the 15 days required. Crisp is hoping to rehab the injury and avoid surgery, but he’s also 35 and has been a high-maintenance player for most of his career. You get the idea Burns could easily be a regular for the remainder of the season.

No one else needs a little speed? Burns is owned in just ten percent of Yahoo leagues. Where are you, gamers?

• To complete this edition of West Coast Bias, let’s check in with Will Venable of the Padres. He’s been mostly a regular over the past 17 days, on a .400/.481/.556 binge with a homer and three steals. He’s needed to play most of the time while Will Myers is hurt, bouncing all around the lineup. He’s slotted second in the last two games.

Venable was a major disappointment in 2014, but he’s also just two years removed from a 22-homer, 22-steal season. He has three homers and three steals this year, over a mere 75 at-bats. If nothing else, I’ll give him a few starts and see what Venable can do against right-handed pitching. The Friars face just two lefties over the next two weeks.

If you have a roster spot to play with, Venable is available in 99 percent of Yahoo leagues. He’s waiting for you.

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