Royals, Guillen agree to a deal

Jose Guillen hit .290 with 23 homers and 99 runs last season with Seattle.

Nashville, TN - The Kansas City Royals have decided to take a chance on outfielder Jose Guillen, reportedly signing the slugger to a three- year contract worth $33.6 million.

The deal is expected to be announced once Guillen passes a physical, which could come Tuesday.

Guillen spent last season with the Seattle Mariners and hit .290 with 23 homers and 99 runs batted in over 153 games. That came after two seasons in Washington that included an injury-plagued 2006 campaign that saw the right- hander appear in only 69 games due to right elbow surgery.

He had his option declined by the Mariners for 2008.

Guillen then appeared in headlines in early November after a report in the San Francisco Chronicle that said he purchased steroids and human growth hormone from a Florida anti-aging clinic.

The paper cited business records as showing Guillen bought more than $19,000 worth of drugs from the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center between May 2002 and June 2005.

The 31-year-old is a lifetime .274 hitter with 166 homers and 673 RBi in 1,268 games with Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Arizona, Cincinnati, Oakland, Anaheim, Washington and Seattle.

Kansas City is also talking to free agent center fielder Andruw Jones and has said that the deal with Guillen will not put an end to those talks.

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