Angels exile Guillen to D.C.

By Jim Callis
November 19, 2004

Bringing a close to a saga that saw Jose Guillen suspended for the final eight games of the regular season and left off their postseason roster, the Angels traded him to the Washington D.C.-bound Expos on Friday. In return, Anaheim received Juan Rivera and Maicer Izturis.

Guillen, 28, batted .294/.352/.497 with 27 homers and a career-high 104 RBIs in 2004, but he drew the Angels' ire on Sept. 25 when he reacted angrily to being pulled from a game for a pinch-runner. Guillen signed a two-year, $6 million contract with Anaheim as a free agent after the 2003 season. He'll make $3.5 million in 2005 and receive either a $4 million salary or $300,000 buyout in 2006. He's a free swinger, but that didn't stop the former top Pirates prospect from emerging as a solid all-around hitter in the last two years. He has average speed and one of the game's strongest outfield arms. In 898 major league games, he has hit .274/.322/.443 with 110 homers and 458 RBIs.

Rivera, 26, has been traded for the second straight offseason. He went from the Yankees to the Expos in last December's Javier Vazquez blockbuster. Rivera was Montreal's primary right fielder in 2004, batting .307/.364/.465 with 12 homers and 49 RBIs in 134 games. He might have more power in his bat, and he also has average speed and a plus arm. He won't be eligible for arbitration until after the 2006 season.

Izturis, 24, is the younger brother of Dodgers shortstop Cesar Izturis and made his major league debut in August. Signed out of Venezuela by the Indians in 1998, he joined the Expos in a deal for Scott Stewart last January. Izturis had a career year at Triple-A Edmonton, batting .338/.428/.423 with three homers, 36 RBIs, 14 steals (albeit in 26 attempts) and a 57-30 strikeout-walk ratio in 99 games. A career .269 hitter before 2004, Izturis emphasizes contact to the exclusion of power. He has solid range, an average arm and the ability to play either shortstop or second base. For Montreal, he hit a soft .206 in 32 games. Any chance he had of starting for the Expos ended when they signed free-agent Cristian Guzman to a four-year contract. Izturis' future in the shortstop-laden Angels organization probably will be as a utilityman.