Royals, Guillen agree to 3-year, $36M deal

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Outfielder Jose Guillen and the Kansas City Royals finalized a three year, $36 million deal Thursday.

Guillen, 31, hit .290 with 23 home runs and 99 RBIs in 153 games with the Seattle Mariners last season. He had an opportunity to become a free agent when the Mariners declined an option of $9 million for 2008.

In 11 seasons with eight different teams, Guillen hit .274 with 166 home runs and 673 RBIs.

The outfielder averaged 27 home runs and 88 RBIs between 2003 and 2005 but was limited the next two seasons by wrist and right elbow operations.

"We feel we have acquired an impact bat from the right side of the plate," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. "He has a proven major league track record of success and we are looking forward to seeing him in the lineup in Kansas City."

Last week, Guillen was questioned by the commissioner's office about his appearance on a list of baseball players who bought human growth hormone and steroids from a clinic in Florida, which is under federal investigation.

According to records from the Rejuvenation Center of Palm Beach, Guillen spent more than $19,000 for hormones and steroids between May 2002 and June 2005.

"We told the commissioner's office my version of this whole affair, which in some ways has been handled with some errors in the media," Guillen told ESPNdeportes.com last weekend.

Enrique Rojas is a reporter and columnist for ESPNdeportes.com and ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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