Mariners Make Progress In Griffey Talks?

9:03pm: As reported by The Sporting News, Junior is playing down talk of him heading to the Mariners:

"We don’t know what we’re doing next year with respect to Seattle. It’s all rumors," Griffey said Thursday after finishing a round at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in California.

5:25pm: Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times believes the Mariners will sign Griffey early next week:

My guess is, he shows up here on Monday, passes his physical, then hits the field on Tuesday. But he is coming. Make no mistake about that.

3:10pm: From SI.com’s Jon Heyman:

Griffey’s agent, Brian Goldberg, agreed that discussions were becoming "more specific” in recent days but suggested nothing’s close to being set yet.

1:27pm: Larry Stone of the Seattle Times weighs in:

The return of Griffey appears to be imminent.  Baseball sources confirmed that talks between the club and Griffey have heated up in recent days. The parties appear to be on course for a one-year contract that could be announced next week, provided Griffey passes a physical examination.

10:05am: MLB.com’s Jim Street says the Mariners and Griffey are "nearing agreement on a one-year contract."

9:08am: According to ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, the Mariners have "stepped up the pace in negotiations" for Ken Griffey Jr.  Crasnick says it’s unclear whether the progress led to a formal offer.

Bobby Abreu received a base salary in the $5MM range yesterday; what would be appropriate for Junior?