The Expos started the 2004 season with Terrmel Sledge, Peter Bergeron and Carl Everett in the outfield. By the end of the season, Montreal had used a total of 12 players in the outfield and most of them were not productive.

The Nationals feel they have fixed part of the problem for the 2005 season by acquiring Jose Guillen in a trade with the Angels last November.

The right-handed-hitting Guillen, who played left field last season, has another year left on his contract worth $3.5 million. Guillen will play right field for Washington.

Guillen hit .294 with 27 home runs and 104 RBIs for the Angels in 2004, but he was suspended by the team for the last eight days of the regular season and the postseason for what the Angels termed "inappropriate conduct" following his removal for a pinch-hitter in a Sept. 25 game against the Athletics.

"He's a really good kid. I trust him with my children," Nationals interim general manager Jim Bowden said of Guillen in November. "He has gone through anger management classes. It has helped him a lot."

• Catchers: Schneider anchors position • Corner inf.: Nationals have options • Middle inf.: Guzman, Vidro a solid duo • Outfielders: Guillen will boost offense • Starters: Loaiza joins rotation • Bullpen: Cordero returns as closer • Bench: Upgrades in the reserves

Assistant general manager Tony Siegle believes Guillen will add more punch to the Nationals' lineup.

"Last year, our main offense was [third baseman] Tony Batista, but he had flaws. His on-base percentage wasn't very good," Siegle said. "But with [Brad] Wilkerson, a healthy Nick Johnson, a healthy Jose Vidro, [Vinny] Castilla and [Cristian] Guzman, Guillen will knock in those guys after they get on base. The offense is a lot better than it was a year ago."

The question is, who will play the other two outfield spots between Wilkerson, Sledge and Endy Chavez?

Wilkerson, the most versatile player on the club, will play either the outfield or first base on a regular basis. This year, however, Wilkerson would like to play just one position. Last year, he played all three outfield spots and first base.

"I'm going to try to get a hold of somebody to see what's going on," Wilkerson said a couple of weeks ago. "The last thing I heard was that I was going to play the outfield. There are a lot of things going on right now. There could be some things in the works. I have no idea."

The batting order is also an issue for Wilkerson. The last two years, Wilkerson has been up and down in the lineup. Last year, his biggest success came from the leadoff spot. Wilkerson had a .382 on-base percentage when batting first, and his nine first-inning home runs led the Major Leagues.

"He knows what to do at the plate," Siegle said. "It doesn't matter whether he's batting cleanup or batting first."

But manager Frank Robinson would like to move Wilkerson down in the lineup and give him a chance to drive in 100 runs. Wilkerson said that for the Nationals to be successful in '05, they must acquire a leadoff hitter to allow Wilkerson to move down in the order.

The Nationals agree with Wilkerson, as they are hoping that Chavez can be their leadoff hitter this season.

After spending a couple of weeks in the minor leagues, Chavez was doing the little things to help the Expos win last year. He finally learned how to bunt and started stealing bases on a regular basis. Chavez set career highs in hits and triples, and improved his batting average by 26 points.

But there's still room for improvement. The Nationals would like Chavez to have a higher on-base percentage, which was .318 last year.

"Endy has some abilities that could make him a player on the top of the list," Siegle said. "He's a great defensive player. He has an excellent arm and great range. But when he comes to the plate, he has to stop thinking he's Vladimir Guerrero and stop swinging at everything. ... He's not disciplined at the plate. If he learns to use his speed and make good contact, he will be a complete player."

Robinson has already called Sledge a complete player. In 2003, Sledge showed for the first time that he could hit for power and drive in runs in the minor leagues. It carried over to the Major League level in 2004. Sledge, who finished third on the team in RBIs with 62, had 24 RBIs in his last 22 games. He ranked in the top five among National League rookies in home runs (15) and RBIs (62).

The feeling in the organization is, if Chavez can't do the job, Wilkerson will be switched to center flied and Sledge will play left.

"We think Sledge is a very good player. But when the game was invented, they only had three outfielders," Siegle said. "Terrmel is certainly going to battle for a job. But if Endy doesn't do the job, there's certainly a better chance that Terrmel will start."