Griffey Wants To Play Three More Years?

there's not much reason to come to mariners games, but then again i've said that the last 4 years and i live in seattle... unless the m's acquire albert pujols, i don't think much can be done, lol. felix is the only light at the end of the tunnel and he'll be gone soon, very sad

icedrake523

It would surprise me if you're from Seattle by the way you said that. Nobody goes to the games, and that won't change next year. With Griffey in the line-up, his presence alone will draw people. I will be one of the people going to a ton of games if Griffey is brought back...

$10m for a sub 800 OPS DH seems a little steep.

If anything I would think a price tag of $5m might be more reasonable.

If the M's are interested it won't be so that they can win. This is a PR move that might have the fringe benefits of providing a leadership perspective to what should be a very young M's team.

jskohl, as far as I know Griffey and his family still live in Orlando,FL.

How much of a draw is an aging, injury-prone slugger? I understand he started in Seattle, but given Griffey's current skill set, his draw will be fleeting.

Rather than making nostalgia signings, losing teams need to focus resources and playing time to developing talent. It's like a restaurant with crappy food worrying about their breadsticks.

Griffey getting three years? Cubs have a better chance of winning the WS then Griffey getting 3 years...

As someone that watched him for half a season this year in Cincinnati, Griffey is done. Every organization has someone in their minors that can put up the numbers that he can now. Griffey was great but injuries have more then taken a toll on him. The only contract that Griffey should sign would be a one year one million dollar deal with Seattle to be a part time player for a retirement tour.

Griffey isn't going to hit 700 homers, I'll be surprised frankly if he can get to even 625.

What he is now, is a poor defensive LF that will hit between .220-.250 with minimal power....but still want to be treated as if he were still the player he once was.

Griffey was a great once in a generation player, but sadly that generation has come to a close because of injuries that kept him from being as great as he should have been.

The only thing a three year deal will do is tarnish his greatness, much like Mays's last year with the Mets.

Wonder how K. Griffey Jr. likes 1B ... yanks are looking for a firstbaseman

z

Griffey has a negitive effect on the clubhouse. He's never been a leader. He is also not feared at all. I firmly believe that he cost the Reds at least five games this year, though I think the number is closer to 10 just with his horrible fielding in RF and the fact that he insisted on hitting third in the lineup.

Teams like the Rays would be far far better served using any cent that they would send Griffey's way to lock up their young players.

Guys that can hit .250 with 15 homers are a dime a dozen.

The far better opition would be to find a cheap unappreicated OF from another organization, like the Phillies did with Jason Werth.

schellis and ctownboy,

you guys are exactly why griffey wanted out of cincy. he said that he got more support on the road than he did at home.

you can't blame the reds problems over the last 10 years on griffey. for many of those years, the reds led the majors in homers and just had no pitching. stop hating on the greatest baseball player of this generation because he can't keep up with what he was in the 90's...that is quite a high expectation.

Ask ozzie and I don't think that you will see him talking down the trade

I admited that he was the greatest player of his generation, but facts are facts everyone gets old.

Nobody is expecting him to be the player he was in the 90's. The fact is that he's not even the player he was a few years ago.

Of course Ozzie isn't going to talk down the trade its not like the White Sox gave up anything of major value

It would be very foolish for any team to shell out the kind of contract that Griffey wants now when they have similar production in the minor leagues that will play for the minimum.

Fans will come to see Griffey, but they will eventually tire of that because they'll want to see the 90's Griffey. Fans on the road of course will cheer for him because he was great and in their eyes he still is great. But to the eyes of those that have seen him daily for years he just isn't close to the player he was and you'd just rather see him walk away instead of seeing him be so mortal.

The injuries not only ruined seasons for him with the Reds but they shaved off years of his career.

A one or two year deal with Seattle where he is loved for saving the franchise would be best for him unless he's willing to take a part time/bench role with a contender.

Any team with playoff aspirations that is starting Griffey is only hurting them.

Remove the name Ken Griffey Jr, and have him be a rather ordinary player and I feel that most would be laughing at this request for three years.

Someone that hits .250 with 15 homer power that can't play even average defense just isn't in that big demand.

And that is the player that Griffey is now.

As for blaming Griffey, I only blame him for one year. The year the Cardinals won the World Series the Reds were in the hunt for the NLC and Griffey broke his toe and was day to day for around a month. A true leader would have moved to a less demanding position (he was still in CF then even if he was the worst by far in the league) and got his bat in the lineup when the team needed him.

Griffey seems like a great guy, and was a phenominal player, but it doesn't change the fact that he's close to 40 and his skills have greatly deminished.

Again - the M's make a lot of sense.

Normally I wouldn't advocate for a team rebuilding to spend $5m on a guy like Griffey. But in this case I will say it - this would be a smart move.

The only harm in signing him is (1) spending financial resources poorly and (2) taking away playing time from potential developing talent. In Seattle's case neither of these factors are relevant. He will bring in $5m worth of revenue in ticket sales/jerseys, etc. And as for playing time, I'm not aware of any young Mariners who need AB's at DH. Their kids can (and should) all take the field in 09.

I'm not suggesting that Griffey is a fit anywhere else. I just believe this is a perfect situation for both parties if he is willing to take a significantly reduced paycheck and play DH.

Of course, this is all assuming that KGJ keeps his ego and check and agree on playing any position needed of him. He's not as stellar a fielder as he once was.

Clement should get AB's at C or 1B. He needs to play in the field - not DH.

Theirs no way Griffey plays 3 more years after watching play this year,he looks like he's at the end of his career...He's already said before he would like to return to the Mariners and end his career there and i think they'll offer him a 1 year contact to end his career there and to help bring fans to games.