March 30, 200719 yr LAKELAND, Fla. -- The Tigers agreed to terms with Carlos Guillen on a four-year deal worth $48 million, keeping the shortstop under contract through 2011. Guillen would've been eligible for free agency at season's end. He had said earlier this week that he didn't want negotiations to linger past Spring Training, though he left open the possibility of signing during the season. As it turned out, both he and the Tigers avoided what could've been a potential distraction in their American League championship defense. Guillen was one of the handful of veterans to join the Tigers after their 119-loss season of 2003, though he didn't do it by choice. In one of the better deals of president/CEO/general manager Dave Dombrowski's career, Detroit traded Ramon Santiago and a Minor Leaguer to Seattle for Guillen once the Mariners beat out the Tigers for free agent Rich Aurilia. None of those players remain with the Mariners. In fact, the Tigers signed back Santiago last year. Now, they'll have Guillen for a while longer. Guillen, an All-Star in 2004, was the best all-around hitter in a Detroit lineup built for balance. Last season, he batted .320 with 19 home runs, 85 RBIs and had career highs with 100 runs scored and 20 stolen bases. His .920 OPS was the highest of any Major League shortstop, better than well-known All-Stars such as Derek Jeter, Miguel Tejada, Jose Reyes and Michael Young. Those numbers put Guillen in position to be one of the more coveted free agents on the market next winter, especially after Young agreed to a five-year contract. However, Guillen said he wanted to remain a Tiger, and the two sides eventually were able to work out a deal in which Dombrowski said both sides had to compromise. "I would like to finish my career here," Guillen said. "This is the best organization I've ever had. I'm very pleased with these guys." Guillen is the fourth Tiger to agree to a multi-year contract since the end of the World Series. Gary Sheffield agreed a two-year deal to finalize his trade from the Yankees, then Brandon Inge and Jeremy Bonderman both agreed to four-year contracts over the winter. http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/news/article...sp&c_id=det
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