So Guillen is a Royal now?

[Troy1220]

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3140604



NASHVILLE -- Outfielder Jose Guillen and the Kansas City Royals have reached a preliminary agreement for a three year, $36 million deal, a relative of the ballplayer told ESPNdeportes.com.




Guillen
The agreement will be complete when Guillen passes a physical exam, scheduled for Tuesday.

Guillen, 31, hit .290 with 23 home runs and 99 RBIs in 153 games with the Seattle Mariners last season. He had an opportunity to become a free agent when the Mariners declined an option of $9 million for 2008.

In 11 seasons with eight different teams, Guillen hit .274 with 166 home runs and 673 RBIs.

The outfielder averaged 27 home runs and 88 RBIs between 2003 and 2005 but was limited the next two seasons by wrist and right elbow operations.

Last week, Guillen was questioned by the commissioner's office about his appearance on a list of baseball players who bought human growth hormone and steroids from a clinic in Florida, which is under federal investigation.

According to records from the Rejuvenation Center of Palm Beach, Guillen spent more than $19,000 for hormones and steroids between May 2002 and June 2005.

"We told the commissioner's office my version of this whole affair, which in some ways has been handled with some errors in the media," Guillen told ESPNdeportes.com last weekend.

Enrique Rojas is a reporter and columnist for ESPNdeportes.com and ESPN.com.

[BigChiefFan]

Wow-this is great news.

[Bearcat2005]

NICE!!!!!

[wilas101]

I'll say the same thing I said last year with gil meche. I'm happy to see them making moves to try to improve instead of making us feel like they're just going through the motions of the off season.

[RP_McMurphy]

Don't like this move.......Would have rather brought in Torii Hunter. They should have went to the 20-25 million level for Hunter. This guy has a history of drug usage and shouldn't be anywhere near a young team.

[Reaper16]

Originally Posted by RP_McMurphy

Don't like this move.......Would have rather brought in Torii Hunter. They should have went to the 20-25 million level for Hunter. This guy has a history of drug usage and shouldn't be anywhere near a young team.

I'd rather have done a lot of things. The Angels overpaid for Hunter already. So, yeah, Hunter would have been a better option but he already signed elsewhere.

Also... no, they shouldn't have gone to the 20-25 million level for Hunter. That's just asking to ruin the franchise more than it already has been.

[DMAC]

Just another stop on his quest: To play for every team in MLB.

[tk13]

According to the KC Star it's actually a 3 year, 33.6 million dollar deal.

http://www.kansascity.com/485/story/388943.html

[tyton75]

But will he be any good now that he is off the juice?

*you were all thinking the same thing!

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by DMAC

Just another stop on his quest: To play for every team in MLB.

He wants to be the new reggie sanders

[Mr. Laz]

Posted on Tue, Dec. 04, 2007 07:12 AM
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Royals’ willingness to consider Andruw Jones jump-starts talks with Guillen
By BOB DUTTON
The Kansas City Star

NASHVILLE, Tenn. | Maybe all it took was a bit of negotiating leverage Monday for the Royals to heat up their stalled talks with free-agent outfielder Jose Guillen.

A growing willingness by the club to view Andruw Jones as a possible alternative seemed to serve as a catalyst. Sources now say the Royals and Guillen are closing in on a three-year contract believed to be valued at $33-36 million.

FoxSports.com also reported the two sides were nearing a deal.

Earlier Monday, the Royals acknowledged disappointment at the lack of progress in negotiations with Guillen, who emerged as their primary off-season target after Torii Hunter signed with the Angels.

Word soon circulated the club was taking another look at Jones, a five-time All-Star with the Braves. General manager Dayton Moore declined to confirm interest in Jones but indicated the club was willing to consider new possibilities.

“Our focus remains the same,” Moore said. “We’re trying to acquire some middle-of-the-order bats through free agency or trades. We’ve got a lot of balls in the air right now.

“Every day that goes by, the more intrigued I get with other opportunities.”

Guillen, 31, doesn’t appear to have any other major suitor. The Mets previously expressed mild interest but are currently overloaded with outfielders.

Sources say Jones initiated discussions with the Royals after drawing scant interest from efforts by agent Scott Boras to secure a contract that matches or exceeds the five-year, $90 million deal that Hunter received from the Angels.

Jones is well-known to Moore from their time together in Atlanta. Moore spent 12 years in the Braves’ front office before joining the Royals in June 2006. Jones, 30, has spent his entire 12-year career in the Braves’ organization.

The Royals still appear to prefer Guillen, who batted .290 last season with 23 homers and 99 RBIs in 153 games for Seattle.

But talks stalled when Guillen asked for a four-year deal. The Royals didn’t want to exceed two years with Guillen -- or Jones -- but were willing to accept a sharply higher per-year salary to fill their need for a run-production bat in the middle of their lineup.

“The juggling act for us,” Moore said, “is we’re at a point where we need to prioritize what makes sense for us in acquiring free agents.”

The emerging compromise with Guillen appears to be a three-year contract with less per-year money than a proposed two-year deal.

Interestingly, the Royals don’t necessarily view Guillen and Jones as an either/or proposition. Sources said the club is willing to consider signing both, especially if Japanese right-hander Hiroki Kuroda signs elsewhere.

The Dodgers have the only known bid out to Jones, reported by ESPN.com as $32 million over two years. The Giants and, perhaps, the Brewers are also believed to have some interest.

The Royals appear willing to exceed the Dodgers’ offer _ but not by much.

Club officials remain concerned that Jones batted a career-low .222 last season for the Braves, although he had 26 homers and 94 RBIs in 154 games. He also recently won a 10th straight Gold Glove for defensive excellence.

[tk13]

Yeah, I really don't think money is an issue. We still have plenty to spend, and we're only tying it up in 3-4 year contracts, so it won't be anything that affects not having some money to throw at guys like Gordon and Butler.

[OmahaChief]

Not a fan of this signing. He has been a malcontent by all reports no matter where he has been. Combine that with being linked to Roids and HGH and that makes this even more frustrating to me. It is not like 23 homers is all that great in the first place. Baseball needs to get in touch with reality and check these salaries. When a guy hitting 23 homers a year gets 12 Million it has gone to far. If it was not for my love of the Royals I would not want another MLB game until they worked this thing out

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by OmahaChief

Not a fan of this signing. He has been a malcontent by all reports no matter where he has been. Combine that with being linked to Roids and HGH and that makes this even more frustrating to me. It is not like 23 homers is all that great in the first place. Baseball needs to get in touch with reality and check these salaries. When a guy hitting 23 homers a year gets 12 Million it has gone to far. If it was not for my love of the Royals I would not want another MLB game until they worked this thing out

I don't remember him being a malcontent hte last 2 or 3 years now. I think he was fine in the seattle clubhouse as well. I think it's a solid signing, no way you pay Torii Hunter what he wanted for similiar production imo. I say just wait and see how he does in a Royal Uni.

[petegz28]

So Teahen, DD and Guillen in the OF?

I can live with that.