PEORIA, Ariz. — Infielder Carlos Guillen, a three-time All-Star who played 14 major league seasons, announced his retirement Tuesday. PEORIA, Ariz. — Infielder Carlos Guillen, a three-time All-Star who played 14 major league seasons, announced his retirement Tuesday. ADVERTISING “It’s
PEORIA, Ariz. — Infielder Carlos Guillen, a three-time All-Star who played 14 major league seasons, announced his retirement Tuesday.
“It’s a tough decision for me, for my family, for everybody because I tried to come back,” said Guillen, who was at the Seattle Mariners’ spring training camp as a nonroster invitee.
Guillen said he considered the decision for the last few days. Last season, Guillen hit .232 in 28 games with the Detroit Tigers. But he was on the disabled list from March 30 to July 16 while recovering from microfracture surgery on his left knee and from Aug. 14 to Sept. 1 because of a sore left wrist.
“I’ve been through a lot of injuries. Your body tells you,” he said.
Guillen joined the Mariners organization on a minor-league deal last month and was expected to compete for a utility reserve role. But he had yet to play in a spring game. He informed his teammates of his decision before the Mariners’ game against the Cincinnati Reds at Peoria Sports Complex.
“It’s the best for this team,” he said. “There’s great talent here, a lot of young guys with a lot of talent.”
The 36-year-old Guillen hit .344 in 19 postseason games and .353 in the 2006 World Series with the Tigers.
His bunt single in the ninth inning clinched Game 3 of the Mariners’ 2000 division series against the Chicago White Sox.
“It was an exciting moment, one of the best moments of my career,” Guillen said.
An amateur free agent signing by the Houston Astros in 1992, Guillen, a native of Venezuela, was traded to Seattle with Freddy Garcia and John Halama for Randy Johnson in 1998. The Mariners traded Guillen to Detroit for infielders Ramon Santiago and Juan Gonzalez in 2004.
Guillen hit .285 during his career with Seattle (1998-2003) and the Detroit Tigers (2004-11).
McCutchen gets $51.5M,
6-year deal from Pirates
BRADENTON, Fla. — Andrew McCutchen sounded a bit overwhelmed.
“It all really hasn’t sunk in for me yet,” the All-Star centerfielder said Tuesday after agreeing to a $51.5 million, six-year contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. “It’s like when you’re getting remarried and you are renewing your vows. That’s how I feel.”
Though he hit just .259 last year, McCutchen had career highs in home runs (23) and RBIs (89) while stealing 23 bases. He would have been eligible for free agency following the 2015 season.
The 25-year-old gets a $1.25 million signing bonus, payable within 30 days of the contract’s approval by Major League Baseball, and will make $500,000 this season. He gets $4.5 million in 2013, $7.25 million in 2014, $10 million in 2015, $13 million in 2016 and $14 million in 2017. The Pirates have a $14.75 million option for 2018 with a $1 million buyout.
McCutchen — considered the linchpin of a core group the Pirates are relying on to turn the club around — received the second-largest contract in franchise history behind Jason Kendall’s $60 million, six-year deal in 2000.
“Andrew McCutchen is one of the best young players in the game and we are very pleased to make this type of commitment to a great player and a great person,” general manager Neal Huntington said. “It has been our intent for Andrew to be a cornerstone for this organization and this contract solidifies that intent for at least the next seven years.”
Steve Hammond, McCutchen’s agent, credited both sides for making sure McCutchen will continue to be among the focal pieces to Pittsburgh’s rebuilding process.
