Griffey Hopes To Retire A Mariner

Ken Griffey Jr. finished his return to Seattle with a flourish, smacking a pair of home runs off Miguel Batista in the final game of the Mariners-Reds series.  The performance moved him past Mark McGwire to seventh on the all-time list.  Here's how it looks now:

1.  Aaron - 755
2.  Bonds - 749
3.  Ruth - 714
4.  Mays - 660
5. Sosa - 601
6.  Robinson - 586
7.  Griffey - 584

Junior should move into sixth very soon.  Griffey has more staying power than Sammy Sosa, and should pass him in due time.  I can see Griffey retiring fourth on the all-time list, passing Mays as well.  He is the man America wishes was chasing Aaron right now. 

Let's be realistic about Sosa, by the way.  He has a .305 OBP.  He's having a terrible year, well below average for his position.  Sosa is about the 200th best hitter in baseball right now, based on VORP.  His performance has been roughly on par with that of Alex Cora.  He has been out-hit by many pitchers.  He is a sideshow and should not be starting for any team.   

Anyway, back to Griffey.  He recently created a stir in Seattle, saying he'd like to retire as a Mariner.  However, it was unclear whether he wanted to play another season or two in Seattle or if he just wanted a one-day contract on his last day.

U.S.S. Mariner likes the idea, but hopes it happens in 2009 instead of anytime soon.  Adam Jones and Wladimir Balentien comprise two-thirds of the Tacoma Ranier outfield right now, and the tandem will remain together in Seattle for many years.  There are better ways for the Mariners to spend money and talent right now than bringing Griffey back, even as a DH.

Comments

[WestCoastBias]

It's a shame Griffey's suffered the injuries he's had. He fully deserves to be alongside Barry Bonds in this HR chase right now. Can you imagine the drama that could have been behind Griffey & Bonds chasing Aaron at the same time? It would have been incredible.

Anyone wanna predict what he'll finish with? I'm thinking we'll get 20 more HR's out of him this year to put him at 604 all-time. I also believe he's capable of putting together 3 more 35 HR seasons from '08-'10. That would put him right with Babe Ruth on the list.

In terms of where's he's playing, this off-season seems like the best time to trade him to a contender needing power, where he has a shot at a WS title in '08. Braves? A's? Twins?

After '08, it would make sense for him to go back to the Mariners for 2 or 3 years to finish his career. Given the young players they have in the fold, he may come in at a time to help their WS push as well...

...let's hope he can stay healthy enough to finish strong these next few years.

Sidenote:
It's a little ironic that Alex Rodriguez, the balance point of character between Bonds & Griffey will be on top in the end.

[schellis]

I could see him gettign traded to the Mariners this off-season. I don't think the Reds are going to deal him while he's chasing 600 unless they get a very good package in return. The backlash would be to great.

Right now Reds fans would be hoping for either Adam Jones or Brandon Morrow in return for Griffey.

I could see him getting past Mays as well if he remains healthy. One more injury though and I think he's done once his Reds contract is done. He'd take a ceremonial contract with the Mariners to retire with them. If he remains healthy I believe he'd play as long as the game wasn't a job for him. With the Reds its been more a job then anything because of the constant injury rehabbing.

[touchmymonkey]

Something tells me that if you told Texas management that 70+ games into the season Sosa's stats would be equal to or better than Chavez, Sexson, Beltre,Lugo and Vernon Wells they would have offered up more than the $200k to sign him. True at the end of the year will be a totally different story but lets toss old Sammy a bone for at least being serviceable. Think Mets would rather Sosa in RF than Ledee? Cubs take him over Jones? He might not be what he was once but is abit more than "a sideshow" - at least in my opinion

[lih]

Griffey has often joked around that he might play until he's fifty. Last year he was saying: I've got two more years in Center, then maybe 2 years in right, 2 in left, 2 at first and then 4 at DH. He was obviously joking, but I'm guessing he'll play as long as his body will hold up.

By the way, the dodgers just announced Nomar's going to begin practicing at third base...could be they're close on Texeira or Dunn, or they're just going to let Loney start.

[boomshwa12]

i agree with touchmymonkey about sammy. making the team in spring training was more than they could have hoped for out of him. if they can get a prospect for him at the deadline then props to jon daniels

[JakeOD21]

The M's won't trade for Griffey because they are clearly an organization that either doesn't care about winning or don't have a clue how to go about doing it. Hargrove and Bavasi must be the worst tandem in baseball.

Jones and Balentien are both tearing up Triple-A. I need to have it explained to me, then, why Ben Broussard and Willie Bloomquist are starting in the outfield tonight for the M's. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be a fan of theirs.

[ScooterPie]

I'm not a big fan of Sosa, but I don't agree that he "shouldn't be starting for any team." He's on pace for 30 homers and 137 RBIs. Regardless of all the other stats, it's hard to argue that those numbers mean nothing.

[registereduser]

Sosa has a .770 OPS! That is very respectable! Calling him a "sideshow" makes you sound like a cranky cubs fan.

[RotoAuthority]

No. Nonononononono. No. Sammy is NOT at all serviceable, and it kills me that the general public sees the HR total and thinks so. We're now quoting RBI totals!!?? It's 2007!!! Do you know how many players could come up and hit 25 HR and be completely worthless in every other respect? Many. Sammy is the definition of replacement level, he is a sideshow, and he shouldn't be starting. I am not giving him props because he sucks but slightly less than we expected. He is a drain on the Texas offense.

[jza1218]

A .770 OPS is nothing special. Especially from the DH spot.

To put that in perspective, Kenny Lofton has a .796 OPS.

[bmswick]

Not serviceable? He still hits lefties very well. Should he be starting everyday? No, but to say he's worthless is flat out wrong. His numbers aren't great, but let's not forget that he didn't play last year.

[RotoAuthority]

I said Sammy is worthless in every respect besides HRs. This is accurate.

The fact that I have actually received multiple emails defending Sammy and quoting the 130 RBI pace is disappointing to me. At this point in time everyone should understand that your DH can't have a .305 OBP.

[RotoAuthority]

OPS only scratches the surface of how much Sammy sucks, because it weights OBP and SLG the same. In fact OBP is much more important, so the .770 OPS doesn't do justice to how much of a drain Sammy is on the team's offense. 130 RBI pace be damned.

[sam66mvp]

Most of you are just haters. His HR are low, his OPS is low, his OBP is low.....SO WHAT! There are only 7....that's SEVEN other hitters who have more RBI than Sosa does right now. I think that is what Texas signed him for. Not servicable??? Get a life.

[jza1218]

RBIs aren't an indicator of quality. That just means that the offense in front of you just so happened to be on-base when you were up to bat.

Pedro Feliz had 98 RBIs last year for instance. Still doesn't mean he's a subpar hitter.

[jza1218]

RBIs aren't an indicator of quality. That just means that the offense in front of you just so happened to be on-base when you were up to bat.

Pedro Feliz had 98 RBIs last year for instance. Still doesn't mean he's not a subpar hitter.

[bmswick]

Using HR and RBI as an indicator isn't a good idea. As mentioned, his OPS is very light on the OBP side. However, Sammy could be valuable to a team in a platoon situation. He can still hit left-handers very well. I wouldn't use him against righties very often, but I wouldn't hesitate to play him against a southpaw. This is where he still has value.

[Thundersticks]

Is this article about Griffey or Sosa??? Sosa is way overrated while Junior is solid. There's no comparison!!

I'd love to see Junior playing LF in a Braves uniform this year!!

[cougar1213]

Just watched Sammy Sosa go 3-4 with 2 doubles, a sac fly, and 2 rbi. His one out was a 410 foot flyout to center at Comerica. His 2 strike 2 out hit in the ninth kept the inning alive and allowed the Rangers to win. Look at his batting avg with RISP. It's almost .400. He's clutch....his OBP goes up almost 100 points with RISP. I bet the Tigers wish they had him tonight.

[rangersorrobbers]

I wish Junior had stayed in Seattle - and I'm a Rangers fan who remembers when the Mariners owned us for several Griffey years. But he was something to watch as a Mariner, and has been only a shadow of his former self as a Red. Gotta love a guy who loves playing the game.

Speaking of which, same goes for Sammy. Wish he'd stayed a Cub. But am glad to have had him around as a Ranger. Hopefully now the Rangers can trade him for something - anything. And saying he's a sideshow is so April! Rangers President Jeff Cogen began his career as a circus marketer (and, yes, it shows with today's Rangers). He probably signed Sammy to be a sideshow draw, but he's exceeded everyone's expectations. He is striking out way too much, but that should improve as he continues to adjust from 2 years away from the game. He's no lineup anchor, but his comeback has been phenominal. Again, I hope the Rangers find someone who might want to use him down the stretch:

http://rangersorrobbers.wordpress.com/2007/06/20/congratulations-sammy-sosa-and-thank-you-for-being-here-but-its-trade-time/

[ryn519]

Sosa is a side show but hes still serviceable as late innings PH vs lefty's (like other have eluded to). He drains one of the single most important baseball stats in OBP. Against rhp his OBP is .270 with 41 RBI. against rhp in 185 AB. Against LHP his OBP is .463 and his SLG is .655 with 30 RBI in 55 AB. Hes walked more times in 55 ABs vs lhp than he has in 185 AB vs rhp, 11 to 9. His HR per plater apperances looks about the same vs both but a few more doubles really help boost in LHP slugging.