Expendable Guillen heads to Detroit

By Jim Callis
January 8, 2004

After signing free agents Rich Aurilia and Scott Spiezio for the left side of their infield, the Mariners had no starting job for Carlos Guillen nor any inclination to pay his $2.5 million salary for 2004. So as soon as the deal was finalized with Aurilia on Thursday, Seattle swapped Guillen to Detroit for Ramon Santiago and minor league infielder Juan Gonzalez.

The Mariners tried to trade Guillen straight up to the Indians for Omar Vizquel in December, but that fell through when Vizquel failed his physical. Now the 28-year-old shortstop will form a new double-play combination in Detroit with Fernando Vina. Guillen has good all-around skills at shortstop but isn't a standout. He's a line-drive hitter who draws a fair amount of walks, runs well but doesn't steal bases, and can make plays defensively. Guillen batted .276/.359/.394 with seven homers and 52 RBIs in 109 games in 2003, when an inflamed pelvis cost him much of July and August and limited him to third base in September. He's a career .264/.335/.383 hitter with 29 homers and 211 RBIs in 488 games.

Santiago, 24, once was considered half of a long-term Detroit double-play combo with Omar Infante, but neither has proven he can hit nearly enough to warrant a regular job in the majors. Santiago hit a feeble .225/.292/.284 with two homers, 29 RBIs and 10 steals in 141 games last year, seeing extensive time at both shortstop and second base. He makes decent contact but doesn't have any power or enough on-base skills to make pitchers respect him. He has enough speed to steal if he reaches base. Santiago's strong suit is his defense, as he covers a lot of ground and has sure hands to go with a cannon arm. A career .231/.297/.311 hitter with six homers, 49 RBIs and 18 steals in 206 games, Santiago made $307,000 in 2003 and won't be eligible for arbitration until after 2005. He'll serve the Mariners as a utility infielder.

Gonzalez, 21, signed out of Venezuela in 1999 and profiles similarly to Santiago. Outside of batting .333 in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2001, Gonzalez hasn't shown much with the stick. He batted .249/.346/.338 with four homers, 39 RBIs and 24 steals in 126 games while repeating low Class A in 2003. He's a better defender than hitter and led Midwest League shortstops with a .972 fielding percentage.