He was once part of a package sent to Seattle in return for Randy Johnson, but now Carlos Guillen is preparing to return to the Mariners to rejuvenate a career plagued by injuries over the last four seasons.
When Seattle traded him in 2004 for Omar Vizquel, the deal was nixed because Vizquel did not pass his physical. (Though the former Mariner Vizquel was still in the majors as of last season.) The M’s found themselves in a weird position and ended up dealing the SS Guillen to Detroit for a lesser package headlined by Ramon Santiago, who ended up playing in just 27 games for the Mariners over two seasons and winding up back in Detroit.
Guillen made three All-Star games over the next five seasons with the Tigers, living up to expectations unlike he ever had in Seattle. Still, he held no ill-will towards the organization and is now trying to make a comeback after playing in just 177 games from 2009-2011.
He told Greg Johns this about his return:
“It’s exciting, and I’m very happy,” Guillen said. "This is my first team in the big leagues, and I’m really happy because it was great times, a great organization and I have a lot of good memories from the past. I’ll just try to do my best.
Guillen hit .232/.265/.368 over 28 games last season, but reports that he is in good health and ready to fight for a spot on the 25-man roster.
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