The signing of Vladimir Guerrero by the Toronto Blue Jays isn’t a publicity stunt. It’s actually a sign that, despite the team’s unimpressive 19-16 record, GM Alex Anthopoulos considers the Jays a playoff team.

Oh sure, the 2012 version of Vlad Guerrero is very different from the 2004 version, when he hit 39 home runs, batted .337 and captured the American League MVP trophy. He’s now 37 years old, he’s got two bad knees and is coming off a washed-up season as the Baltimore Orioles’ designated hitter in which he hit only 13 homers in 145 games.

Following that uninspiring performance, no team wanted to spend good money on Vlad until Anthopoulos signed him to a minor-league deal on Thursday.

“I understand the signing is news because it’s who Vladimir Guerrero is and a likely Hall of Famer and so on,” Anthopoulos said. “But it’s a minor-league contract, there are no assurances. He’s not part of our major-league roster. He’s going to go on extended spring training. We get to lay eyes on him. We’ll get to evaluate him and there isn’t anything beyond that.”

Well, no, not really. If Guerrero is able to replicate the .290 batting average and 30 doubles he recorded last year, it will actually represent an upgrade to the middle of the Jays’ order, which has been a major disappointment so far. Everyday player Adam Lind is hitting just .189 with three home runs and 11 RBIs. On days Guerrero is DH-ing, Edwin Encarnacion – who is getting most of his starts as the Jays’ DH and is leading the team in homers, RBI and steals – can play first base.

And despite the Jays’ recent relief pitching woes, Anthopoulos clearly detects weakness in the traditional AL East powerhouses. The New York Yankees recently lost Hall-of-Fame closer Mariano Rivera to a season-ending knee injury and have turned to twice-retired Andy Pettitte to help their pitching. The Boston Red Sox have the third-worst record in baseball, thanks to their brutal starting rotation. The Baltimore Orioles – who pundits expected to lose 100 games this year – are currently in first place in the division. With an extra wild-card spot up for grabs, Anthopoulos appears willing to look outside the box to improve his squad for a run this year.

Throughout his career, Guerrero has been known for his amazing plate coverage – there are very few places a pitcher could put a ball that Guerrero couldn’t hit it. He’s a career .318 hitter who L.A. Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher once compared to a tennis player in his ability to strike the ball from a variety of angles and speeds. He still hit .290 last year with the O’s, so if the aging Guerrero has any of that left in the tank, he’ll be a welcome addition to a team that has struggled to get men on base.

And historically, he’s done well in Toronto. He has a .359 batting average and 1.011 slugging number at Rogers Centre. Having played the first eight years of his career with the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium, he just might feel right at home in a big, indoor stadium in Canada. If nothing else, he could be a mentor for Jays’ slugger Jose Bautista, who’s off to a rough start after hitting 97 homers over the past two seasons.

At a pro-rated price tag of $1.3 million, it’s worth a shot. In the glory days, the Jays had success with DH players deemed past their prime like Paul Molitor, Dave Winfield and even Jose Canseco. While the oft-injured Guerrero will likely look more like Frank Thomas than Molitor coming out of the batter’s box, you never know unless you try.

And don’t expect Anthopoulos to stop tinkering if he thinks the Jays have a shot at the wild card. Apparently he’s already reached out to Philadelphia Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. about starting pitcher Cole Hamels and outfielder Shane Victorino, who are pending free agents and could be available if the Phillies are out of it before July 31.

So yes, it’s unreasonable to think that signing Vladimir Guerrero is the answer for the Blue Jays. He’s not going to show up in Toronto and hit 40 homers. But it is a message that the team’s GM is still looking to make a playoff push this year.