8:45pm: The Mariners will pay Guillen $1MM plus incentives based on plate appearances if he makes the team, Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times tweets.
1:47pm: The Mariners announced they've signed infielder Carlos Guillen to a minor league contract with a spring training invite. Guillen made his big league debut with the Mariners in 1998, becoming a regular at shortstop and third base for four years before being traded to the Tigers eight years ago.
Guillen, 36, was limited to 699 plate appearances for the Tigers over the last three seasons. The Octagon client had knee surgery in September of 2010, delaying his 2011 debut. Wrist and calf injuries affected the tail end of his campaign.
The significant piece!
Yup! This would seem to put the nail in the coffin of yet another rebuilding year. It does however mean that maybe the M’s try double-hard to move Figgins. We’ll see.
Strange he ends up back with the M’s as Ramon Santiago ended up back with the Tigers, nullifying that trade 8 years later…
Yeah except the 8 years for Carlos guillen were for the most part productive… Can’t say the same about ramon Santiago lol
I think the Tigers might have gotten the best of that deal! 🙂
AL West huh? I Foresee Weaver beaning him 3-4 times next season… Verlander isn’t there to protect you anymore Cuuurlos
But Felix is. I was at that game and Weaver started the entire thing. I’m glad that Carlos defended his teammate. Whatever, at the end of the day, Verlander dominated and Weaver threw a temper. 3-1 Tigers.
Disagree, Guillen strolled out of the box staring at Weaver. Aguirre is prob right, that little thing isn’t over, Carlos may wear one
Weaver started it by yelling profanities at Magglio for “admiring” a homer, when in reality he was watching a ball go foul instead of running it out on his bad ankle. Cabrera tried to clarify it to Weaver who continued to jaw at them for a couple innings.
Carlos decided to show him what it really looks like when admiring a homer and I absolutely loved him for it.
Spin much in real life???
Oh please…anyone who saw the game and not just the highlights could see what happened, CLEARLY.
Yeah, we can see that you have no bias whatsoever.
Actually, that’s exactly what happened. Magglio watched a ball to see if it would go fair or foul. Weaver took exception to this for some un-Godly known reason. He cursed out Magglio as he rounded the bases. Cabrera defended Ordonez but nothing really happened between Cabrera and Weaver.
Later in the game, Guillen hit a homer and decided to show Weaver what being shown up really looked like. Weaver threw a temper and threw, not behind, but at the HEAD of Alex Avila. Aybar came up and put down a bunt while Verlander had a no hitter in the 8th. That’s Bush League. Verlander yelled at him. When Aybar scored on a fielders choice, Aybar clearly jabbed Verlander on purpose. That is exactly what happened. Still the best game I’ve ever been to, though.
I watched the game too, and by no means am I defending Weaver’s behavior. But to call one action bush league while completely ignoring the bush league action of showing up a pitcher while your pitcher is throwing a no-hitter is obtuse.
“Later in the game, Guillen hit a homer and decided to show Weaver what being shown up really looked like.” <—- that is bush league
you just don't see it because the tiger's hat may be a little too tight.
In Jack and Roar’s defense, I don’t think either of them said what Guillen did specifically WASN’T Bush league.
The questions was “Who started it?” The Answer was Weaver.
What Guillen did to show up Weaver was indeed bush league (as was Weaver throwing next pitch at Avila’s head).
I loved what Guillen did to Weaver after he yelled at Ordonez for no reason, but I’m not gonna say it wasn’t inappropriate. It just felt good to watch.
Was Guillen bush league? Yes. I’m not sure where I said he wasn’t. Was Verlander bush league for yelling at Aybar? Yeah, probably. Was Aybar bush league. Yes. Was Magglio bush league? Of course not. Was Weaver bush league for yelling at Magglio. No, he was just ridiculous. Was Weaver bush league for throwing at Avila’s head? No. He was borderline criminal. So let’s look up the score. We have two bush leagues for Detroit and one bush league, one ridiculous, and one criminal for Los Angeles. Is that better for you?
“He was borderline criminal.”
LOL. Grow up.
Your bias is showing.
Your bias is showing.
weaver may have been upset by what maggs did…Having watched maggs for years being a sox fan who has to see him up north too. I can say I have never seen him do what guillen did. So him looking to see if it would go foul makes sense…If you youtube it you can actually see maggs’ head moving up and down. IE from the ball to the foul poll/line…so yes weaver was wrong for barking at Maggs because he clearly was not being a show boat…
that being said waht guiilen did was bush league and has no place in baseball..I dont care if he was showing Weaver what staring at a ball truly is…it does not at all make it right…Its stupid and annoying and in very very very bad taste and made guillen out to be a very very bad sport….Its one thing to watch a ball and slowly come out of the box in a trot like 90% of players do but its another thing to look right at the pitcher…that has no place in baseball and guillen was 100% wrong for doing it…your bias aside there is no way you as a baseball fan should think what guillen did was ok or cool….also what weaver did by “throwing” at V-marts head (i still think its a ball that got away, if weaver wanted to throw in or hit someone with his controll it would be easy) was wrong no matter what..guillen WILL get hit when/ if he faces weaver…its not right but its going to happen
You can’t seriously think that Weaver throwing at Avila’s head on the very next pitch was an accident, can you? That’s about as well placed as Kershaw throwing at Parra after saying that he was going to hit him. That’s the same as me saying that I’m going to punch, followed by me punching you, and then saying ‘muscle spasm.’
I think he was trying to say that throwing up and in and hitting someone are two different things. If Weaver wanted to hit him he would have hit him, maybe he was trying I don’t know…
The only one who knows, is Weaver. It’s not worth speculating.
It started long before that.. Weaver was yelling at Magglio for the lame reason of making up something that never happened. Much like his brother, Weaver is a punk.
Stay classy Detroit ; )
We are very classy, as is Guillen and Magglio. Stay classy LA.
Aybar > Verlander and Weaver > Guillen and now Pujols > Fielder
Aybar is better than Verlander and Weaver, who are better than Guillen and Pujols, who are better than Fielder? What the hell does that mean?
Aybar is better than Verlander and Weaver, who are better than Guillen and Pujols, who are better than Fielder? What the hell does that mean?
It was 3-2 Tigers. Were you really at the game?
LOL. I caught that too.
The guy could just not stay healthy, his reputation is so notorious that it makes people forget he was a really great player once upon a time. Dude was a beast in 2006
not a sign that is supposed to change the world. just get a veteran guy who can produce some quality ABs. set an example for the younger kids
Good luck, Los Carlos. You are a class act.
Take Weaver deep for us, AGAIN!
That was one of 2011’s highlights for me…Carlos put Weaver in his place.
Guillen deserved a fastball in the ear for that little display.
in his place? i guess Guillen just got put in his place, last place that is
Guillen can give the M’s a lot of ab’s and spot starts at 3rd, 2nd, 1st and LF along with a few games at DH. Great move for the M’s. I hope this is a prelude to Figgins being shown the door.
Seems like it almost has to be, they would fill the exact same super-utility role with Seager starting at 3B (if Guillen has enough tread left on his tires, that is).
Good move from the Mariners. They need to reacquire Branden Morrow from the Toronto Blue Jays w/ Edwin Encarcion (moving him or Kyle Seager to shortshop) for James Paxton or Danny Hultzen, Chone Figgins (then ship him to NL team in three way trade), and a minor league PTBNL to be competitive in the division this season and beyond.
that’s funny. oh, you’re serious? ohhhhh….
Are you on crack? Re-acquire Morrow? Why exactly? Paxton and Hultzen are top prospects and expected to be much better than what Morrow is now. We also just traded Pineda so there is yet another reason you make no sense. Please never post a trade idea again.
P.S. Seager is not a SS and may not even make the Opening Day roster. The M’s have Nick Franklin and Marcus Littlewood coming up relatively soon at SS.
Littlewood is now a catcher and Franklin is likely a 3B prospect very soon.
But you’re right about Seager not being a SS.
We lack depth there but Ryan is fine for a couple of years.
Since when is Littlewood moving to catcher? I haven’t heard anything about that.
They started transitioning him this past summer I believe. I don’t have a link but you can probably just google it and find a bunch of writeups. UssMariner, Lookout Landing and Prosepect Insider being the main ones to pay attention to.
If it works out, he could be a new breed of crazy athletic catchers.
I can only find stats for him playing SS and 2B, but the stats I see don’t show things like the Arizona Fall League or Venezuelan Winter League.
I follow USSM and Lookout Landing religiously, but I’ll check out Prospect Insider closer, thanks.
That would be pretty awesome if Littlewood does transition well into a super-athletic catcher and we can pencil in Montero as DH for the next decade or so which will keep his salary pretty reasonable… byebye, Olivo! (as if he was gonna last past the end of his current contract anyway.)
I have been reading recently that Nick Franklin is looking better and better at shortstop, and since we have a couple potential 3B prospects in Kyle Seager and Alex Liddi (who still needs AT LEAST another year in AAA to patch up the holes in his swing), I think they’re preying Franklin sticks at SS since Carlos Triunfel has fallen off. He currently projects as a “super utility infielder” as put by Baseball America (I think it was BA anyway).
I don’t think you will find stats on Littlewood as a catcher just yet. After the season with Everett finished he went to the Arizona Instructional League where it sounds like he got about 15 innings worth of game time in behind the plate. From what I have read the instructional league is more about raw players learning and improving on fundamental elements. They play games but no official stats are posted I believe.
Figured it must have been something like that.
I don’t think you will find stats on Littlewood as a catcher just yet. After the season with Everett finished he went to the Arizona Instructional League where it sounds like he got about 15 innings worth of game time in behind the plate. From what I have read the instructional league is more about raw players learning and improving on fundamental elements. They play games but no official stats are posted I believe.
If Franklin has to move off SS (but most scouts now think he can stick there) he would go to 2B.. not 3rd.
I don’t claim to have any insider knowledge on the topic to argue. Usually if you have a SS that has the arm but lacks the range, you try him at 3rd rather than 2nd whch has the same range demands. And the whole Ackley being a mainstay at 2b for the next decade thing leads me to believe it’s either he sticks at SS or moves to 3b
Most agree that Nick Franklin will be able to stick at SS. I have no idea where you get the idea that he’s “likely” a 3B prospect.
Hopefully one of Miller, Trunifel or Franklin stick at SS.
Might actually be a pretty exciting year for M’s SS prospects. Job openings on the left side in 2013
May not even make the opening day roster? That’s a bit of a stretch. He’ll probably be the starting 3B or be platooned, but he’ll most assuredly make the team.
Seager is not a shortstop. Big step back defensively from Brendan Ryan. Don’t want E5 and Morrow isn’t coming back this way, especially for Hultzen, who cannot be traded yet or even Paxton. They can have Figgins for a wad of chewed buggle gum and the Jays paying $1 of his salary.
I hope Seager gets more time at SS this year to see if he can adjust. He is widely considered a stellar glove at 2B. If he can be league average defensively at SS and hit like he should.. thats a nice piece to have.
Seager isn’t a SS consideration, beyond backup MIFer that is. Not with the M’s at least.
If Seager had any kind of shot at being a league average glove at SS with a projectable bat (which he has) he’d be in the minors becoming that stud. That would make him a hotter prospect than Franklin.
He’s not a candiadate to be anin everyday SS, nor has he ever been viewed as such.
I agree on Brendan Ryan. He has played fantastic defensive the last two years and probably should have won a GG this past year instead of Aybar. If I remember correctly he ranked as one of the highest shortstops in the category of defensive runs saved.
His obvious downside is not much of an offensive threat or a guy who can work his way on base with much consistency.
paxton and hultzen have the same if not more potential than morrow does and they are both younger and much much cheaper why would they want to trade them for morrow and E3
Did you just suggest Edwin Encarnacion playing SS or did I read that wrong? That would be hilarious
(Jack Z’s head pops out from inside a dumpster)… “Whoa, check out this old lamp! Can’t believe someone just threw this out! Yeah, it’s cracked, covered in coffee grounds, and has a frayed cord. But if I plug it in, it just might light up! Buying a brand new one at the store is for suckers. Winning..!!”
And who exactly did you want him to sign? Ken Griffey Jr.? Its a minor league deal, relax.
Albert Pujols
I think the Cardinals are a lock to resign him, so that’s unlikely…
Bring Griffey Back!
Jack Z is finally earning his pay check. He gets a D- for last offseason; but so far I’ll give him a B+ for this offseason. Letting his coach finally move Ichiro down in the order; getting Montero; picking up Guillen; showing faith in the young pitchers that will be earning call ups. Months ago I thought the M’s were doomed but they’re crawling back to respectable.
As a Tigers fan I’m glad guillen got another shot hopefully he stays healthy this time. I favorited the weaver tantrum on YouTube take him deep again Carlos.
Guillen is a classless showboater that shows no respect for baseball and should be banned from the game.
Yes, he should be banned for hurting someone’s feelings. Or maybe they should all stop acting like a bunch of pansies. Maybe a Costco size pack of pacifiers would suffice.
I think you mean Weaver cause guillen was sticking up for a team mate that did nothing wrong. Talk about classless bunting on Verlander in the 7th inning of a no hitter now that’s classless. Guillens gonna show up weaver again.
That’s right, they’re just supposed to roll over and not try to win the game. Wouldn’t it be considered the same ill-advised behavior to cause waves at all when you’re pitcher is throwing a no-hitter? I suppose, judging by your screen name, that your Tiger-tinted glasses can’t see that.
I would definitely disagree that it was bushleague for the bunt during a no-hitter fwiw. Angels were still in the hunt for their division at that point, and last I checked a no hitter is earned, not gifted.
Weaver however, was being a DB and deserved being shown up imo.
Disclaimer: I love seeing a good HBP, hard slide, and the occasional fight.
agreed, on everything.
Bunt was perfectly fine, Weaver a DB.
I still remember the big “unwritten rule” discussion that came about in 2001 after the Curt Schilling vs Ben Davis debacle. 2-0 game and Davis lays down a bunt to get on base and everyone goes crazy on Davis. In fact I remember hearing Schilling on a radio show recently talking about how you don’t bunt with no-hitter going.
Unwritten rule or not I wouldn’t want to be on the losing team getting scoreboarded on with a no-hitter. My competitive side would want to try and do anything to get the opposing pitcher out of his rhythm and hopefully get into his head a little to give the rest of the team a chance. Don’t believe in raising the white flag just cause the guy is having a standout performance.
So it fine to throw at Avila’s head, someone who had absolutely nothing to do with the whole thing just to make a point. You don’t do that especially to Avila who is one if the nicer guys on the Tigers and is always happy, Weaver needs to control his emotion and realize sometimes things are not gonna go his way, when the going gets tough you don’t try to kill someone thats uncalled for and classless.
You really are some piece of work. Before you talk about someone’s colored glasses, why don’t you take off your rage helmet and your own rage glasses.
I have zero problem with the bunt. That’s the Angels’ game and they’re trying to win it. But the way that Weaver was chirping at Ordonez and other players all game was completely classless, and the way that he blew his stack like a teenager virtually ended the Cy race right there and then.
The ‘Rule’, I thought, was that bunting was permissible in a no-hit situation if its a close game. So, Aybar did what he was supposed to do in that situation. On the other hand, Weaver should have handled it like a man. Beaning players for perceived slights is cowardly and I wish it was something that went the way of the Baltimore chop. Also, if you look at the video you can see Magglio was watching if it was fair or foul and even if he had been admiring it, it wasn’t something gaudy. Weaver needs to grow up.
Well this should make facing the Angels at least somewhat entertaining.
I thought that this was the guy the M’s were trying to sign. He should fit into the mix for time at 3B, LF, and DH. It is another good low risk move.
In Jack we bust! Zzzzzzz….
Good luck Carlos! Hope he makes the club!
Weaver showed what a little miss prissie he is in that game. What Guillen did was simply awesome, epic. Magglio Ordonez is one of my least favorite baseball players, but when Weaver started in on him, it was just bizarre. I appreciate what Guillen did. A ten year old wouldn’t have been bothered by what Magglio did, let alone a so-called Ace. I really can’t stand the Tigers, I saw the game, and that was my impression.
So, Weaver is a “so-called Ace” by your estimation? If Weaver isn’t an ace, who is?
I’m a biased Tigers fan, but couldn’t agree more. Weaver got what he deserved for barking at Magglio who was nowhere near trying to show him up.
Before that game I’d bought a new piece of glass and said I’d name it after whoever got the hot to give JV the win over Weaver. Me and Carlos have had some good times celebrating Tigers wins!
A glass bowl? Nice!
As Bill James pointed out, Verlander calling Aybar’s bunt “bush league” was the biggest insult to the game.
Who is an Ace? Roy Halladay, Justin Verlander, Chris Carpenter, John Lester, CC Sabathia, and my guy, Felix Hernandez, just to name a few. Weaver is an excellent pitcher, but he’s a Weaver. Steeeeeeeerike One.
I also have no problem with Aybar breaking up the no-no with the bunt. A bunt is a hit, right? To score runs, you have to hit the ball, right? I could see Verlander being pissed about it, being caught up in the moment. But, to act like Boy Weaver did? Bush League all the way.
Hapless as Seattle is, this is probably a good move so that if Carols does make the team, it’s a bat off the bench and they could do worse. What I don’t understand is why they don’t go after Raul Ibanez and bring him home again.
Because that would be a waste of a roster spot for a old DH when Montero and Carp need the spot.
Hapless as Seattle is, this is probably a good move so that if Carols does make the team, it’s a bat off the bench and they could do worse. What I don’t understand is why they don’t go after Raul Ibanez and bring him home again.
Who needs Fielder when you get Guillen?
The Tigers! I can’t believe we gave up a switch-hitting .300 infielder so we could sign a schlub like Prince!