LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers closed the book on the Alex Guerrero drama, releasing the 29-year-old infielder, and will be responsible for the remaining $8 million of his four-year, $28 million contract.
Guerrero was signed Oct. 21, 2013, with the promise of being a polished, power-hitting shortstop in Cuba. The Dodgers tried to move him to second base, then third base, then the outfield, but he never convinced management he could handle big league defense.
Guerrero was named Rookie of the Month of April last year, when he hit .423 with five home runs. His roster situation was complicated because the club gave the player the rare right to block any attempt to send him to the Minor Leagues without his permission after his first professional season.
In that initial year of 2014, Guerrero's arrival to the big leagues was derailed when he had a chunk of his left ear bitten off by teammate Miguel Olivo in a dugout fight.
This spring, with no apparent role, Guerrero was sidelined by an unusual internal bone bruise in his knee. He completed a rehab assignment and on May 31 was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for Julio Urias.
The Dodgers also have little to show for the signing of Cuban infielders Erisbel Arruebarrena and Hector Olivera. Arruebarrena, signed to a five-year, $25 million deal, was suspended from Double-A Tulsa for the season for violating team rules, as he was last year. Olivera, signed for $62.5 million, was dealt to Atlanta in last year's Alex Wood deal after the Dodgers had paid roughly $30 million of the deal. Olivera currently is serving an 82-game suspension for violating the MLB domestic violence policy.