Guillen not worried about new contract...

[slim pickens]

http://www.mlive.com/tigers/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-2/117184741163390.xml&coll=1


Guillen not worried about contract talks
Monday, February 19, 2007
By Danny Knobler
LAKELAND, Fla. -- Carlos Guillen was ready.

"I've got a new contract,'' the Detroit Tigers shortstop said, as reporters approached Sunday. Then, after as dramatic a pause as he could manage, Guillen added the punch line.

"With Mizuno,'' he said, referring to the baseball equipment manufacturer. "That's my new contract. One-year deal.''



Then Guillen laughed.

If the lack of a new contract with the Tigers is affecting Guillen, it has yet to show. He reported to spring training early, seems to be in perfectly good spirits, openly professes his desire to remain a Tiger and has issued no "sign me by opening day or else'' ultimatum.

In-season contract talks don't bother Guillen, who signed his first long-term contract with the Tigers in June 2004. If it takes that long to agree on the next deal, he said, that's fine with him.

There's still no guarantee that the Tigers will be able to re-sign Guillen. The two sides aren't yet in agreement on the length of a contract, and there's a chance they may never agree.

But these aren't contentious talks, because Guillen wants to remain a Tiger and the Tigers want to keep a player who was a near-unanimous choice as Tiger of the Year in 2006.

"Everybody knows how I feel about Carlos Guillen,'' manager Jim Leyland said. "He knows I want him, but that's not my area. That's up to him, his agent and (general manager Dave Dombrowski).''

The only way it affects Leyland is if Guillen leaves as a free agent, or if the contract talks affect either the shortstop or the team.

As Leyland pointed out, Barry Bonds won the 1992 National League Most Valuable Player award in his walk year with the Pittsburgh Pirates. What Leyland didn't have to say is that Bonds did indeed walk at the end of the season.

The difference is that the Pirates couldn't afford to retain Bonds. The Tigers' recent history shows they find a way to retain their stars. In Guillen's case, though, the question will always be how long his legs will allow him to be a top shortstop in the major leagues. That's what makes this tough, and that's why Guillen won't predict the future.

"I started my career with Houston, but I don't know where I'll finish it,'' Guillen said. "In this game, you know where you start, but you don't know where you'll finish. I remember that every day.''

Guillen isn't the only Tiger who can become a free agent at the end of 2007. Pitcher Kenny Rogers is in the last year of his contract, and so is reliever Todd Jones. Catcher Pudge Rodriguez's regular contract will be up, but there's a club option for 2008.

"I don't think anyone here will be worried about contracts,'' Jones said Sunday. "And no one should worry. You can count on Pudge being here next year, and Guillen and Kenny, they're kind of irreplaceable.''

One Tiger who did sign a contract over the winter is third baseman Brandon Inge, and partly because of that four-year, $24 million deal, Inge rolled into camp in the best of spirits Sunday. "This is going to be my best spring, because I don't have to worry about anything,'' Inge said. "Now it's like I'm back in Little League, just having fun. I mean, you won't see me one day without a smile on my face.'' . . . Leyland said Sunday that Omar Infante will get regular time this spring in center field. The Tigers need to identify a backup for starter Curtis Granderson, and Leyland prefers not to have regular left fielder Craig Monroe play in center. . . . Leyland was happy to see Alan Trammell take a coaching job with the Chicago Cubs. "I'm tickled to death that he's back in uniform,'' Leyland said. "Hopefully, someday he'll end up back home, which is Detroit.'' . . . Because of cool temperatures and high winds, the Tigers did most of their work in the indoor batting cages Sunday. The Lakeland weather has been unusually cool the last few days, dropping below freezing every night, but the forecast says it should warm up by Tuesday.

[estrepe1]

I think this situation will drag into the season. I think the Tigers should and will re-sign him because I don't see anyone ready to replace him.

I found his comment from another article interesting about staying for 4 years as the SS but with a 6 year contract maybe not....

[iceteebone]

if i was guillen i would sign a deal now. with his history of injuries, he may want to lock himself into a nice contract, maybe 10 million per vs. 12-13 million per he would get on the open market because if he gets injured this year, his value has dropped, and he won't have that long term deal so it maybe wise to take a 4 year 40 million dollar contract now and not risk it. just my 2 cents

[DaYooperASBDT]

I would give him 4 years, 55 million. But it's not my money.

[Shelton]

The Tigers won't sign Guillen because they already have a deal in place to sign A-Rod this autumn.

[estrepe1]

The Tigers won't sign Guillen because they already have a deal in place to sign A-Rod this autumn.

That would be tampering.

[Shelton]

That would be tampering.

The fact that the word has a definition implies its existance.

[thewave84]

I wonder if Michael Young's new deal, if/when it happens, will move things along for a Guillen extension.

per rotoworld ...
According to SI.com's Jon Heyman, the Rangers and Michael Young will agree to an extension worth $80 million over five years or $90 million for six years.

The extension won't take effect until 2009, so the Rangers are counting on Young being a $15 million-$16 million player from ages 32 through 36 or 37. It seems like a poor bet to us. Feb. 28 - 1:19 am et


Personally I think Guillen and Young are pretty comparable.

[estrepe1]

The fact that the word has a definition implies its existance.

It doesn't imply that it is happening in this case.

[Shaggy Ry]

I don't give Guillen that contract, though I certainly don't begrudge Guillen for asking for that much either. I just think we let him get paid elsewhere. Unfortunately I don't think we have any in-house options sould would have to trade for our next shortstop.

[tiger337]

I think Guillen is going to be a very tough signing. I believe there is a pretty good chance they will lose him. He apparently wants to stay with the Tigers which is a positive but it's going to cost a lot. I think this one will drag on for a while.

[Edman85]

Guillen is good enough now and the next couple of years that the failure of the tail end of a contract is worth the risk.

[thewave84]

Let's see, Guillen is 31 now so his extension would start at age 32, just like Young. He has had more injuries in his past than Young, but Young is still 2 full seasons away from his extension (starts in 2009) so the Rangers are taking on whatever risk there is of Young getting an injury in 2007 and 2008 which reduces his value.

I'd happily give Guillen a nice signing bonus (say 5 mil) to compensate for being underpaid in 2007, and then a 3 year extension with 15 or 16 mil per year. I wonder if he would sign for that or if he would insist on a longer deal.

I agree with Shaggy that I wouldn't give Guillen the 5 year deal that Young is rumored to be getting.

[DaYooperASBDT]

I would be surprised if the Tigers went beyond 4 years, 55-60 million.

[thewave84]

Lynn Henning's take:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070301/SPORTS08/703010324/1004/SPORTS


Lynn Henning: Around the majors
Tigers might be priced out of long deal with Guillen

LAKELAND, Fla. -- You can imagine the reaction of the Tigers' front office this week when a parcel of baseball scuttlebutt reached Lakeland.

The Rangers are supposedly thinking of extending shortstop Michael Young's contract to the tune of five years and $75 million.

That information, whether well-founded or slightly exaggerated, is bound to delight Tigers shortstop Carlos Guillen and, particularly, his agent, Peter Greenberg. Placing a 30-year-old shortstop of Young's caliber into a $15-million-per-year bracket would be viewed as one more indicator that the 31-year-old Guillen could triple his current salary of $5 million. That's what Guillen is earning in his final year of a Tigers contract ahead of potential free agency in November.

Is Guillen worth $15 million a year, presuming that the Young contract numbers have some validity?

Probably. The greater issue is length of contract. You can bet Greenberg and Guillen will want to make Guillen's last big shot at a long and rich contract a biggie -- something beyond three seasons.

If that's the case, figure on Guillen and the Tigers shaking hands and wishing each other well at this year's free-agent filing date. It is difficult to conceive of the Tigers signing Guillen for more than three seasons, if they are in fact inclined to go three.

No one within the Tigers camp is publicly talking about the situation. There is no point in doing so. The Tigers know Guillen is their most valuable player, primarily because of the position he plays so capably. They know he is a first-class professional and the smartest player this team has known since Alan Trammell was their shortstop.

The Tigers absolutely love the man. Guillen, likewise, has found a home in Detroit. He likes his teammates, his manager, the front office, the town, the winning that he has come to know after a lousy first couple of years.

But anyone who believes business is anything other than business with respect to Guillen's next contract has been drinking some serious pints of schmaltz.

Bad business

The Tigers spent a good part of their rebuilding program getting rid of bad contracts. They were sick of being hamstrung by overly generous and overly long paydays owed to Damion Easley, Dmitri Young, Jeff Weaver, Bobby Higginson, among others.

They understood there had to be a ceiling on spending -- not so much with respect to dollars spent at achieving market-value acquisitions during a particular year, but rather, because heavy pay over many years to decreasingly non-productive players dragged down a team in multiple ways.

Guillen could end up being a very good shortstop for the next five seasons. The greater likelihood, however, is that he will not be playing All-Star caliber shortstop beyond the next three years. It is a matter of age, of past injuries and their likely recurrence, of intuition and fine-line impressions of Guillen's body and its longevity.

Shortstop is the only position that makes sense for the Tigers and Guillen, long-term. There is little -- make that zero -- chance he would be moved to first base. It is not his natural position and his power is beneath the level a contending team ideally demands from first base.

It ain't going to happen. Not for the kind of dollars and years Guillen is seeking.

All of which makes the future for Guillen and his current team interesting.

It is proper to wonder what exactly the Tigers would do if Guillen were to move on this autumn. They wonder, as well. They have no organizational replacement for Guillen. Certainly they have no one they would entrust with the most important position on the field, especially for a would-be contender.

But know this: The Tigers are not likely to change their business stance with respect to a single player. They are properly of the opinion that their team is bigger than one man, even if it is Guillen. Frankly, it is the kind of discipline they need to abide by -- the kind of discipline that has only been seriously breached once in the past five years, when owner Mike Ilitch decided Magglio Ordonez needed to be signed at just about any price.

Changing position

Dave Dombrowski, the Tigers' president and general manager, was asked Wednesday about the Young chatter and how it might affect Detroit's discussions with Guillen. There was no expectation that Dombrowski would unleash an avalanche of internal strategy or details -- and he did not. What he said was this:

"I don't want to get into the Young and Guillen contract negotiations. We still like Carlos, but you also have to do what is right for your organization. We'll see what happens."

But Dombrowski also said something that was as revealing as any words can be ahead of the Guillen negotiations:

"We're going to be in a position at some point where as the club gets better and better, market-wise, we're not going to be able to keep everybody who is going to be a free agent. That's where you have to go a good job replenishing your talent. That's why getting depth in your organization is important.

"When people look for quick fixes, it normally doesn't work. You have to be in position to be able to build depth, to build a farm system, to have Latin America working for you. That's how you get to be a championship club."

It is impossible to say how the Tigers-Guillen talks will turn out as the two sides discuss business in 2007. But, unless the early signs and words are smokescreens, and until we find out that Young's $15 million annual salary is hogwash, it might be best for Tigers fans to begin scouring opposing rosters for solid shortstops who might be obtained in a trade for a couple of strong pitching prospects.

I don't like it. I'm not saying that he is wrong, just that I would rather sign Guillen to an extension and keep our pitching prospects.

[Yoda]

But there come's a time where spending foolishly could be more prohibitive than trade a couple prospects. This could be one of those contracts. It's such a gamble with Guillen. I love the guy but I'd have a hard time giving him 5 years. Hopefully they can work something out.

[thewave84]

But there come's a time where spending foolishly could be more prohibitive than trade a couple prospects. This could be one of those contracts. It's such a gamble with Guillen. I love the guy but I'd have a hard time giving him 5 years. Hopefully they can work something out.

I agree. I know that it is not an easy decision, in fact it is a very difficult one. That's why this sub-plot, out of everything going on this spring, is the one that intrigues me the most.

[Sparks4Ever]

But there come's a time where spending foolishly could be more prohibitive than trade a couple prospects. This could be one of those contracts. It's such a gamble with Guillen. I love the guy but I'd have a hard time giving him 5 years. Hopefully they can work something out.

If the market is going to continue going upward, and I think it will, then the Tigers are going to have to shell out some dough to land a replacement for Guillen anyway. I don't see any high level infield prospects in the Tigers farm system, so it makes an awful lot of sense to take a chance by signing Guillen to a big contract. I don't think they really have a good alternative. If they don't sign him you're looking at an infield of Inge,Infante or a similarly mediocre free agent pick up, Polanco and, I don't know, maybe Thames next year. That would be a pretty weak infield.

[djhutch]

I'd go 4 years/$55 mil. But I don't think I'd go into a 5th year, even if it is a club option. I don't think Guillen's agent will settle for 3 years.

[estrepe1]

Its not going to be easy because losing Guillen will likely mean you have to make 2 moves.

First you need someone to come in and be a decent bat at SS. There really isn't any ready to go short stops in the system as Lynn points out. I like Hollimon somewhat but he was old for his league last season and is moving to 2B this.

Second they need someone that can replace that middle of the order threat. It is so unlikely that you will find another SS to put in the middle of the order. So they will have to pick up someone that can play another position and hit for power and reach base at a decent clip.

1B or 3B are the main possibilities for that upgrade. I list 3B because it is possible that Inge could handle a move to SS at least for a while. It wouldn't be my ideal situation but if they don't land the 1B they need 3B seems like the next best spot.

[Shaggy Ry]

I wished we paid him more in his last contract, so I wouldn't feel so guilty when I wouldn't pay him the big money now. However to me he gave us a hometown discount and now he's only asking for market value.

Guillen in Boston in a years time?

E, I think if we acquired a lead-off hitter short stop replacement, you could possibly drop Granderson down into the middle of the order. Also we'll still have 1B to fill with a longer term solution that would more than likely be a middle of the order bat.

[Sparks4Ever]

...or the other Sux.

[tigersfandm]

One other thing to remember about Guillen, other than his great physical abilities, is that he is one of the main leaders of the team and his teammates respect him. That is hard to find as well in a player.

[estrepe1]

E, I think if we acquired a lead-off hitter short stop replacement, you could possibly drop Granderson down into the middle of the order. Also we'll still have 1B to fill with a longer term solution that would more than likely be a middle of the order bat.

Thats an interesting point. But I still am not sure I think it is the ideal solution. Of course you could do that and upgrade 1B next offseason and be fine.

I guess it will be alright because 1B needs to be upgraded one way or the other.... Some people like Casey more than others around here but even they have to realize he isn't anything more than a 1 season solution if that....

I still think its going to be tough to replace a bat like Guillen's in the middle of the order.

One other thing to remember about Guillen, other than his great physical abilities, is that he is one of the main leaders of the team and his teammates respect him. That is hard to find as well in a player.

I don't think that is nearly as hard to replace as his bat.

[Sparks4Ever]

Also, DD may just want to see if Guillen makes it through the spring healthy before getting serious about negotiations. I don't know.

It just doesn't make sense that they'd give Sheffield a 3 year deal and balk at giving a younger and probably more valuable Guillen a long term extension. If given the choice to sign Sheff to a 3 year or Guillen to a 5 year deal, I think I'd go with Guillen. With that said, I'm guessing they'll eventually get a deal done.

[keglerv]

This is such a tricky situation. Guillen is so important to this right handed heavy line up. Just a thought, but I wonder if he would go for signing a deal right now that gives him an 8 million dollar bonus for this season (signing bonus) then 4 years in the 55-60 million dollar range, with an option on a 5th year. He gets the 5 year contract money starting now and the team avoid having to go too long on the deal. I like Guillen for the next 3 years so I think that it still represents a risk to the club, but seems like a reasonable gamble, especially when considering all of the other variables.

[estrepe1]

It just doesn't make sense that they'd give Sheffield a 3 year deal and balk at giving a younger and probably more valuable Guillen a long term extension. If given the choice to sign Sheff to a 3 year or Guillen to a 5 year deal, I think I'd go with Guillen. With that said, I'm guessing they'll eventually get a deal done.

Sheffield also doesn't have a history of major knee surgery at a position that requires a lot out of your knees.

I would think about giving Guillen a 5 year deal because I think he can be at least above average for 3 of those seasons.... but it is still a huge risk and is a different risk than signing Sheffield for 3 seasons.

[DaYooperASBDT]

Guillen has been an enormous bargain for this franchise. I know it doesn't work that way, but I feel the Tigers really owe him a raise and four years minimum. But DD must let his head rule over his heart, and look at other options (decent SS, young slugger at first base, etc)

It will be interesting to see if any of the minor leaguers step up and show progress. For example, if Larish has a huge year and moves up, the Tigers may not feel the need to go after Texiera.

Illitch has been willing to spend the big bucks when required, so perhaps the progress of the minor leaguers isn't that big of a factor?

[keglerv]

Illitch has been willing to spend the big bucks when required, so perhaps the progress of the minor leaguers isn't that big of a factor?

I think the progress of the farm system is more important now than ever. We are going to need the cheap young talent coming in and playing at a high level if we are to have a sustained run as an elite team. No major league team can afford premium players at every key position anymore, the Yankees notwithstanding.

[DaYooperASBDT]

But I meant in terms of determining whether to give certain players an extension? For example, IF Larish went wild this year, would the Tigers project him as their first baseman in 2008, and risk losing Guillen's offense?

[keglerv]

But I meant in terms of determining whether to give certain players an extension? For example, IF Larish went wild this year, would the Tigers project him as their first baseman in 2008, and risk losing Guillen's offense?

I think it would depend on what other players are doing as well. Lets say Granderson takes a big step forward this year and Sheffield is an absolute monster, then maybe you take the shot on a Larish if he shows he is ready and not signing Guillen is a reasonable gamble at that point. Now if Granderson regresses, Sheffield is injured, Maggs declines etc... and Guillen continues to be Guillen, than you probably can't afford to let him go at the chance of 1 prospect possibly filling some of the void that Guillen would leave. I just know we can't spend forever and this Guillen thing is a really tricky situation, a GM's nightmare.

[DaYooperASBDT]

Good point, really need to look at the whole organization, from the top down, I suppose. Perhaps project where you offense is at with/without Guillen, assuming you keep everybody else?

I could see Infante getting a shot at SS if he has a good 2007. Not sure about Tony G. though. Tony was on a real hitting tear last year at the time of his knee injury, but he has had a long tough rehab, I've heard.

[Shelton]

Move Thames to SS.

[DaYooperASBDT]

Need a lefty bat there. I'd go with Casey.

[tiger337]

One other thing to remember about Guillen, other than his great physical abilities, is that he is one of the main leaders of the team and his teammates respect him. That is hard to find as well in a player.

It seems like people are saying that about every veteran player on the Tigers these days so maybe it's not so hard to find. What's really hard to replace is his bat.