Guillen has successful shoulder surgery

11/22/2005
WASHINGTON -- Nationals outfielder Jose Guillen had successful surgery on his left shoulder on Monday, and he is expected to be ready for Spring Training. Dr. John Uribe performed the surgery in Miami.
Guillen hurt the non-throwing shoulder sliding headfirst in the third inning against the Blue Jays on June 26. Guillen never went on the disabled list, instead playing with the shoulder problem for the rest of the season.
After the season ended, Guillen tried weight training to strengthen the shoulder, but he still felt pain and had the MRI, which revealed that he has a slightly torn labrum.
According to Guillen, the surgery was supposed to take 30 minutes, but he was on the operating table for 2 1/2 hours. Guillen said it will take two to three months to fully recover from the surgery.
"I have to spend a month without moving my shoulder," Guillen said. "I believe there was more damage than what was [originally diagnosed]."
In retrospect, Guillen said he should have taken time off during the season in order to allow the shoulder to heal.
"I cannot be playing like this anymore, because it really cost me a lot. I was playing in a lot of pain during the second half. I have to be smart enough next time. I have to look out for my future and my career," Guillen said. "There was no way I could shut it down [in the second half], because we were fighting for a playoff spot. Jose Guillen is all about winning, not about anything else."
In other news, according to Nationals general manager Jim Bowden, A.J. Burnett's agent, Darek Braunecker, has conveyed to Bowden that the Nationals will be somewhere near the top of the list of teams for which Burnett is interested in playing. The Nationals had dinner with Burnett and Braunecker last week, and Burnett enjoyed the visit with the team. The Nationals have yet to make an offer to Burnett.
The Nationals are hoping that Burnett's wife, Karen, will play a role in the right-hander coming to the Nationals. She is from Bowie, Md.
"It's a family decision. A.J. is not going to make this decision independent of [Karen]. In any situation, I certainly believe she will have input," Braunecker said.
Braunecker reiterated that it would help if the Nationals had ownership in place to allow Burnett to get acquainted with his potential bosses.
"It would certainly make the situation more appealing if they had ownership in place." Braunecker said. "We understand that new ownership has the right to select who they want to run the club. But I'm not going to say that the situation that they currently have is going to hurt it. It would be beneficial if they had that final bit of certainty."
Bowden has declined to comment about his second interview with the Red Sox, who are looking to hire a general manager. He said he will not talk about the situation until it's resolved.
According to a baseball source, the Nationals have inquired about Diamondbacks right-hander Javier Vazquez, who has requested a trade in order to be closer to his home in Puerto Rico.
Vazquez played six Major League season with the Expos and was once considered the ace of the staff. His best season was in 2001, when he went 16-11 with a 3.42 ERA. The Expos traded Vazquez to the Yankees for Nick Johnson, Juan Rivera and Randy Choate after the 2003 season.

Source: http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/