The royals did not believe that Jose Guillen would play baseball this season, or at the very least, not at the beginning of the year. Jose certainly hints at this, but considering how many outfields the royals signed, Guillen’s “near-death experience, makes Dayton’s acquistions make much more sense.

The DH was intended to be Callaspo. Maier at outfielder 4 with the possibility of Anderson beating him out and if not then Anderson as depth in Omaha. Getz as full-time second baseman. Fields would be a bench player. Without Guillen in the picture, it always made so much more sense.

Am I giving Dayton too much credit here? or did Guillen’s major problems actually cause him to sign an extra outfielder?

And his story makes sense: the type of surgery he had can cause clotting, being unable to walk increases the risk, and generally those with clots are restricted from flying. I don’t read his comments as suggesting that he was dying, just that death was a possibility. It is what killed Thomas, a blood clot that formed after surgery.

I know someone who developed severe clotting from thrombosis. He was in the hospital for over a month, and when he describes the incident he says that he almost died. He also says that the doctors did not mince words, they told him that he might die. If Guillen’s experience was anything like that then it probably was pretty darn dramatic.