Vladimir Guerrero was one of the best outfielders of his era having eight great seasons with the Montreal Expos. When Angel owner Arte Moreno bought the team from the Disney Corporation in 2003 he wanted to make a big splash that winter and he did just that. The Angels signed Guerrero to a five-year deal worth 70 million dollars as well as signing pitchers Bartolo Colon and Kelvim Escobar all in a matter of days.
Guerrero paid immediate dividends as became only the second Angel player to win the American Legue Most Valuable Player Award in 2004. In five of Guerrero’s six seasons with the Angels the team made the playoffs including two ALCS appearances.