.261/16/73

.290/13/63

.059/0/0

Those were the stat lines (AVG/HR/RBI) of three well-known veterans in 2011. The 1st is johnny Damon. The 2nd is Vladimir Guerrero. The third... is Manny Ramirez.

Of course, Ramirez only had 17 plate appearances in for Tampa Bay before he was suspended (again) for drug use. He ended up retiring halfway through the season before announcing his return to baseball this offseason, and perhaps ushering baseball's version of Brett Favre. He will miss the first 50 games of the season in 2012, and unless he plays just about every single game, he'll finish with 100 games played. Coupled with his lousy attitude and the fact that he's a 39 year-old with a bad track record, is he really worth signing to a million-dollar contract just so that we can see Manny being Manny (which isn't even a good thing).

But here's the thing: are any of three aforementioned vets - Vlad, Damon and Ramirez - actually worth signing? Well, I say no but let's compare them.

1: Johnny Damon

For those of you who didn't know (which may be no one, but whatever), Johnny Damon played exactly one season for the A's, in 2001. He hit .256 with 9 homeruns, 49 RBI and 27 steals (12 CS) in 644 AB's. He was a good hitter who played excellent defense and was a catalyst atop the Oakland A's lineup (and he was better then his successor, Terrence Long). After 2001, he left to pursue a multi-year contract with the Red Sox and ended winning a World Series. Statistically, he made a name for himself as a premier player, and twice hit over .300. In 2006, he went to the Bronx where he once again won a WS while continuing to hit and play good defense. then, he signed a 1-year contract with Detroit. The thing is, the Tigers had a young kid called Austin Jackson who ended up hitting over .300 as a rookie. Damon played 33 games in left, but he ended up spending most of his time as a DH. In 2011, johnny hit 16 homeruns and stole 19 bags in 582 at-bats for the Tampa Bay Rays. This was almost solely as a DH; he played 33 games in the field. Here's his career stat line:

Obviously, he's gotten worse over the years, but he's still managed to stay a decent hitter who you can count on for 10-20 homeruns and a good average. Now, I'm not sure whether he could still play in the OF but Oakland's outfield seems pretty much set for 2012, so he play pretty much solely at DH again; Johnny Gomes will spend time at DH, as may Chris Carter (though it also depends on who wins the 1B sweepstakes). Damon is interesting: he's not what he once was, but he still seems like a pretty good hitter who is also a good presence in the clubhouse as a veteran, champion of two World Series.

Here's the thing: where does Damon fit in? It seems whoever loses the 1B contest will get time at DH, as will Johnny Gomes. Damon's defense has decreased and the outfield is pretty much full. Johnny may be the most sensible option for the AThletics, but considering the current situation, signing him would just be a roadblock from some of the rookies and he would either be stealing playing time or not getting much.

Verdict: You could make a good case for Damon, but considering the A's current philosophy, he's not a fit for Oakland.

2: Vladimir Guerrero

Out of all three players, Guerrero may have the most impressive career stat line, even if Ramirez seems to be clearly better. First of all, Ramirez was on 'roids, so we don't know how much of his performance was actually him. Guerrero has 449 homeruns in his career and in 15 full seasons he has hit over .300 13 times. He was ROY in 1997 for the then Montreal Expos and has been named to 9 All-Star games; he was the 2004 MVP and has has finished amongst the Top 10 in voting 5 times. His stats show a scary amount of consistency.

In 2002, he was one dinger away from joining the 40-40 club, and while he's lost almost all of his old speed (and his defensive capabilities), he can still be counted on for 15-25 homeruns and a high average. However, I don't think that his insane 2010 season was an accurate showing of his current capabilities; 36 year-olds rarely have 100 RBI season where they also hit .300. In 2012, I would expect him to put up the same kind of numbers that he put up for Baltimore, perhaps with a few more HR's; think .288/16/77 with .755 OPS.

Well, that's not so bad. The problem is, out of all three players, Vlad is the one who could probably ask for the most money (6-7 million for one year, maybe - I don't know the contract situations), he would be solely DH. Again, the same problem that came up with Damon arises with Vlad, except this time with balky knees. Also, while Damon will probably hit the same way he did in 2011 in 2012, there's a possibility that Vlad will come down to earth and release he's an old man; think .260/11/64. In that case, there's really no point in signing him.

Verdict: Again, interesting, but the chance of a complete failure and the lose of playing time for Carter & Co is too much of a risk.

3: Manny Ramirez

Out of these three players, Manny is the one I feel most strongly about. To put it simply, Manny Ramirez is an jerk. His repeated drug use coupled with his lousy attitude and the catastrophe that is the result of "Manny being Manny" makes him the one of the most disliked players in baseball. He's not going to be a fantastic hitter - perhaps not even a good hitter - he may get injured, and, of course, he'll miss the first 50 games of the season serving the 50-game suspension that he couldn't face last year but says that he'll serve in 2012 (unless he decides to retire again). For a team that seems to pride itself on being loose and fun, Manny is the last player you would want. For sake of being balanced, I'll put his stats here, but they make no difference to me.

There's no more to say: Manny has a bad attitude and will hurt the team far more then he'd help it.

Verdict: No, no and no again.

So that's it. Three veterans. Two of them, you could make a case for. But in conclusion, none of them would make much of a difference (they'd just be for one year anyway) and they would contradict the A's current rebuilding philosophy. Say what you want, but I'm not bought on any of them.