The Tigers will have Carlos Guillen through the 2011 season. Per Danny Knobler, the deal is for 4 years and $48 million.
This is great news, and the last item of the business that the Tigers needed to wrap up heading into the season. the deal is quite reasonable considering the contracts given to other lesser shortstops such as Julio Lugo and Orlando Cabrerra in recent years, and Michael Young just recently. Guillen’s injury history probably prevented him from getting Young type money. Still, at $12 million per year this appears to be a great deal for the Tigers. I also wouldn’t be surprised to hear that there are escalator clauses for plate appearances, similar to the deal that Guillen had in 2004 when he arrived.
The contract is such that Guillen should hopefully be able to play a productive shortstop for at least the first 3 years. If in the last year he has to move a less demanding position it will probably still be a decent value in 2011 dollars.
I don’t want to say the deal is a bargain for the Tigers, because Carlos Guillen is getting nearly $50 million. But like the Jeremy Bonderman and Brandon Inge signings, both agreed to stay with Detroit long term and while they were rewarded, they probably took less than they could have had on the open market.
Maybe the Tiger Tax is now the Tiger Tax Credit.
UPDATE: Now there are some quotes coming out. It appears guaranteeing the 4th year is what made it all possible. And like I said all along, give him the 4th year if it means keeping him for the next 3. Guillen also is amenable to a position switch later in the contract if that’s what the team needs him to do. In return the Tigers granted him a limited no trade clause.
Carlos really did want to stay in Detroit. Thank goodness!
Carlos really did want to stay in Detroit. Thank goodness!!
Sweet
Very fair. It’s nice to see some players recognize a good situation for fair money, rather than pursuing every extra dollar, no matter what.
Great deal for the Tigers. Great news for Tigers fans. We needed some today.
A fair deal. Carlos will not be a SS by the time it’s over but he seems to be getting better as a hitter and will be a valuable player for all 4 years.
So much for avoiding the injury bug this year. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a rent-a-catcher. They need somebody to spell Pudge lest they wear him out early.
I guess now we will find out just how good our pitching depth is. Durbin could be one of those guys who turned a corner. Or he could be Sean Douglass, or Colby Lewis, Jason Grilli, etc. Hopefully Miner will get staightened out at Toledo. We’re going to need him. Keep an eye on Miller. Tata is going to need another pitch or he’s toast. Jurrjens or De La Cruz could move up fast. I hope they let Ledezma do more than just the LOOGY role. He is quite good up to about 30 pitches. An ideal 6th and 7th inning guy against a LH heavy lineup. Then blow them away w/Rodney or Zumaya. What is the story on Colon? I thought he was supposed to be close to ready by now.
The pitching could be ugly early. Verlander doesn’t look right, Rogers is gone, Maroth has always lived on the edge. We need Bondo to take another step forward and Nate to continue to gut it out. I love that guy.
If Kenny Rogers wins 5 games more in his career I will be surprised. But we already got a bargain for the whole two year deal. I wish him luck.
Zach Miner is not the answer. Zach Miner, at best, is a league average pitcher and I’m not sure the Zach Miner at the end of the 2006 season isn’t closer to the real Zach Miner than the one that was on fire after Maroth went down.
Durbin just needs to go 5 innings giving up less than 5 runs a start and it’d be successful. If he struggles, then I think they go Wil Ledezma/Jordan Tata. I’d prefer Ledezma get the spot first of all, even if that leaves a gap in the pen from the left side. Rodney and Zumaya are dominant enough against both RH’s and LH’s that I don’t think it’s an overly big deal and I think too much is made of the matchup stuff out of the pen.
We just need to be within striking distance by the trade deadline to give Dombrowski reason to pull the trigger on a deal. I bet this makes it a lot closer to Tata/Thames getting traded at the deadline.
I love this deal. If he stays healthy it is a steal… of course that is always the question with Guillen. Great job Tigers.
$12 million a year for Guillen??!!! Has Dombrowski now totally lost his mind!!!! $12 million a year!!! You have got to be kidding me….someone wake me up…..ROFL!!!! $12 million a year for Guillen!!!! Wait are we for sale like the Tribune Co and can just throw money around now…..$12 million a year!!!! Whatcha smoking??? I want some!!!!! Brian….”it is a steal”….are you friggen crazy????
Tom – you’re not actually serious are you?
billfer
Yes of course I’m serious. $12 million a year for Guillen…LOL…right build a team around him???!!!! Never hit more than 20 HRs…only drove in more than 90 runs once in his career…Cmon….$12 million a year hahahaha…Last year was THE career year for Guillen…you WON’T see it again.
$12 million…ROFL!!!!!!!!
Tom –
Two questions for you then. First, what do you feel would be an acceptable contract for an All Star caliber shortstop such as Guillen? And second, what would your plan be for the Tigers at shortstop in 2008 be if it isn’t Guillen?
Tom,
I find it difficult to understand your pessimism. While I think it is quite possible that last year was a career year for Guillen, I don’t think he’s likely to fall off the face of the earth.
Consider this: If Carlos plays to 25% percentile projection from PECOTA (which would mean that he severely underperforms), he would still post a line of .281/.351/.464. Despite the fact that it would represent a drop of more than .100 points from his 2006 season, an OPS of .815 would still have been good enough to make him the third best offensive shortstop in the AL and 7th best in the majors by that admittedly rough measure.*
Also, you point to two stats where Guillen is admittedly less productive than other players: he doesn’t hit a lot of homeruns, and, perhaps due the low OBP of the Tigers as a whole, he doesn’t get a ton of RBI. But this does not mean he is not a run producer. He tied with Craig Monroe for the team lead in extra base hits last year (65); he led the team in OBP (.400), and, as a result, in runs scored (100). He is a crucial part of their offense.
* I am excluding Carlos’ own .920 OPS from this analysis. If Guillen had had an OPS of .815 last year, he would have ranked behind Jeter (.900) and Tejada (.878) and just ahead of Michael Young (.814) in the AL.
You only had to answer two questions, Tom, and you couldn’t even do that.
Well, the fact that he’s judging a player based on HR and RBI suggests that Tom doesn’t understand this game particularly well.
Agreed Dave… his responses show why he doesn’t understand that this is a fair contract for both sides.
Geez
Sorry I didn’t stay and await all your responses and answer immediately.
Bilfer
#1– 8-10 million a year max for Guillen
#2– Give me Nefi (Nefi rocks!!) for 2 million and I have 10 to find a consistent centerfielder.
Nate
Save the moneyball stats for your fantasy league buddy, I’m sure you’ll finish in the top ten. Yes maybe Guillen will be an All-Star this year, considering that Leyland gets to make some of the picks. Otherwise he’ll ALWAYS be behind Tejada, Young, and Jeter. Moneyball never was very good at looking at the “heart” of a player.
Kathy
“Carlos really did want to stay in Detroit….”
HUH? NOBODY wants to stay in Detroit…..ROFL
Dave
Your right HRs and RBIs don’t mean much at all…..You and Nate will do great in the Fantasy Leagues!!!
Your fantasy baseball comment shows a fundamental lack of understanding when it comes to the evaluation of players. Compounded with the fact that you use HR and RBI to judge a player I sure am glad that you are not the GM of the Tigers.
It is further proof of how underappreciated Guillen is not only among some of the national media but among some Tigers fans. Way to go not realizing that Guillen was the best hitter the Tigers have had the 2 of the last 3 seasons. The only reason he drops at all in 2005 is his lack of plate appearances and the fact that he was unhealthy.
The fact that you would even consider starting Neifi and finding a different CF is funny. Perhaps you want a return to the days of old when the park was empty. Because making Perez the starting SS is one of the quickest ways to 100 losses.
Brian
The GM of the Tigers used exactly the HR/RBI evaluation in signing Sheffield. Now give me all the Fantasy stuff…ok…ok remember you get to those figures with things like HR/RBI although you guys attributed solely HR/RBI to me. Maybe it was Sheffield’s excellent fielding, OPS, or base stealing abilities that made Dombrowski sign him(wastefully…again)…..
Hmmm stat men tell me the difference between Sheffield’s stats and the DH’s of last year and how much more the $7 million we gave Sheffield will benefit us??? Let’s see if he stays healthy…..5 more HRs and 10 more RBIs…was it really worth that much more money?
Is it time to extend Bonderman’s salary yet???
Gosh Tom,
Kathy is right, Guillen did say he wanted to stay in D-Town. All you had to do to know that is read a little. He reiterated that point on numerous occassions, so attacking her on that was pointless. Carlos did say he wanted to stay with the Tigers, and so did his wife from what I recall. As for your rant about the money, well, I for one am more than willing to accept his getting a slightly higher paycheck even if his numbers are stellar. The reason? He was with the Tigers during two of their worst years. And dedication to the team–what you term “heart”–is exactly what Guillen is showing. So under your own terms he should deserve the money just given to him. No player is perfect, but Guillen has shown his heart and willingness to come to Detroit and give it his all. Now that’s heart. Now that deserves a good sum of cash.
Everyone –
Take a good look at this statement:
Tom is looking for a reaction. He bashes a signing that EVERYONE thinks is great. And then he follows it up by campaigning for the least popular guy on the roster so he can solve a problem with one of the most popular guys on the roster.
He’s just looking for a reaction. Don’t take him seriously.
Billfer wins the Grand Prize!!!!!!
GO WHITE SOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!