Free agent Matt Guerrier to throw off mound Friday

Keith Allison via Wikimedia Commons

Reliever Matt Guerrier's 2013 season ended early when he finished the year on the disabled list with a strained flexor mass in his right elbow. He had surgery to repair his elbow in August, and he has started throwing lightly. He will take the next step in his recovery this Friday when, according to Darren Wolfson of ESPN1500 in Minneapolis, he will begin throwing off a mound.

FA Matt Guerrier update: Starts throwing off mound Friday. Plans to be full go about Feb. 15. if all goes well. #MNTwins remain interested.
— Darren Wolfson (@DarrenWolfson) January 13, 2014

Guerrier last pitched for the Chicago Cubs after a trade from the Dodgers for Carlos Marmol just before the All-Star break. He was 4-4, 4.01 ERA, and 1.406 WHIP overall on the season and is 27-34, 3.51 ERA, and 1.254 WHIP in his 10-year career with the Twins, Dodgers, and Cubs. According to Wolfson, Guerrier may have a chance at returning to the Twins, with whom he came up to the Majors in 2004.

This was the second major DL stint for the same reason. In 2012, Geurrier made just 16 appearances because of elbow problems that caused him to miss 119 Dodger games from late April to the end of August. He has also had right thumb and shoulder problems in his professional career. Now that he has had the elbow surgically repaired, he hopes to rebound as a free agent.

Guerrier is CBS Sports.com's #93 free agent pitcher. He made a career high $4.75 million in 2013, but coming off elbow surgery, he may have to settle for less -- at least as a base salary and then have incentives added.

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