Nats' Guillen Makes Pitches To Soriano, Sosa

With only a month before spring training, one of the most controversial Washington Nationals is trying to smooth the way for two of the team's stickiest moves. Jose Guillen said he has been in touch with Alfonso Soriano, the team's big offseason acquisition who does not want to play in the outfield, and at the same time has tried to persuade Sammy Sosa to sign with the club.

Whether he has any more luck than Nationals officials -- who have spent the winter trying to get Soriano to switch from second base and the last two weeks hoping Sosa will sign a minor league deal -- remains to be seen.

But Guillen remains optimistic.

"I'm pretty confident they'll fix the problem," he said of the Nats and Soriano, implying that Soriano is not angry despite the rhetoric coming out of the Dominican Republic.

"Soriano is like Vlad [Guerrero], he's a happy man," Guillen said.

When asked what he has told the two players, Guillen shook his head, saying he wanted to leave those things to General Manager Jim Bowden. He spoke glowingly about the possibility of hitting in a lineup with Soriano and Sosa, though he offered a warning that even a healthy Sosa would probably not hit 40 home runs at RFK Stadium. He said Sosa has been working hard in the offseason and should be in good shape come spring training.

Guillen was talking in the principal's office at Powell Elementary School in Northwest Washington after taking part in an assembly for the Nationals' "Winter Caravan." He said he is recovering nicely from offseason surgery on his left shoulder and is lifting weights and running but will not swing a bat for some time.

"They told me hopefully I'll be able to swing a bat by the middle of spring training," he said. "I'm not going to rush anything. It's a serious surgery, it was reconstructive surgery."

Guillen said he remains hopeful that he will be ready for Opening Day.

Nationals Notes: The club hired former all-star reliever John Wetteland as its new bullpen coach. Wetteland had 330 saves for the Montreal Expos, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers in the 1990s. His 43 saves in 1993 was a Montreal/Washington franchise record until Chad Cordero broke the mark with 47 last season. . . .

Washington also added another potential left-handed bat off the bench by signing first baseman-outfielder Daryle Ward to a minor league deal. The Nationals also signed Valerio de los Santos, a left-handed reliever who has pitched for the Brewers, Phillies, Blue Jays and Marlins, to a minor league deal. He was 1-2 with a 6.14 ERA for Florida last season.