Ken Griffey Jr. is probably the greatest Mariner of all time. Besides being considered one of the greatest players of all time, he is also the main reason the franchise has the fan base it does. So, with the news that he will most likely be coming back to the house that he built, Mariners fans should be ecstatic. Or should they?
Heading into the 2009 season, it’s safe to say that the Mariners are mired in a rebuilding stage and Ken Griffey Jr. is not the player he used to be. One thing is true about the Griffey deal: it’s not at all a baseball move, but purely a marketing move.
The Mariners have a couple good young bats that should be seeing regular time in the Majors, including Jeff Clement and Wladimir Balentein. Griffey will most likely see most of his at bats from the DH spot, due to his sharp decline in the field. This means playing Griffey will certainly take time away from these young players that could be a key to the Mariners future.
General Manager Jack Zduriencik has put together a ballclub that has potential to surprise. Right now the team looks like an 75-80 win team on paper, the addition of Griffey at best may only gain them another win or so. Zduriencik’s additions of Endy Chavez, Franklin Gutierrez, and Russell Branyan show that he understands how to put together a ballclub that can play defense, win some games, and get good value from underrated players. He has been able to do this without costing the franchise nearly as much as teams of their recent past. His moves have made sense looking to the future, building from within, and using trades to boost their overall depth. The Griffey signing does not seem to fall in to line with this logic.
The Griffey deal is purely a public relations move, exciting fans with the possibility of Griffey returning to his glory years. But while this may get the fan base excited, a player projected by MARCEL to hit .248/.336/.434 (.771 OPS) this year is replaceable. The Mariners had been linked to Bobby Abreu until he was signed by the Angels, and seemed to be in trade discussions with the New York Yankees about the availability of OF/1B Nick Swisher. Both of these moves would have made me a bit more pleased, and both would be positive moves that generate wins, without hurting the future.
Jack Zdurienck’s offseason has been called a complete disaster by many, including Steve Phillips, but these same people will probably call the Griffey signing a success. In an offseason where he was financially handcuffed, stuck with the awful contracts of Jarrod Washburn, Miguel Batista, and Carlos Silva, Zdurienck’s moves have all made sense for this ballclub. This is the first deal I’m not sold on from purely a baseball standpoint. Dissecting this deal as an analyst I see an aging and replaceable outfielder, who can’t quite cut it playing every day in the field. But, what is not replaceable about that player is the name on his back.
The signing seems all but inevitable now, and I’m beginning to accept it. When I look at this purely as a fan, that part of me can not help but be a little excited to see #24 take the field in blue and teal again. Good luck and welcome home, Junior.
Turns out the whole situation may be all for not, as the Braves have shown interest in Griffey for their outfield. All reports both internally and from Griffey’s side seemed like he’d be heading to Seattle for a physical on Monday. Mariners bloggers all seem to think this may be some hot air being blown by Griffey’s agent in order to extract some more cash to sweeten the deal.
Right now, either way this doesn’t hurt the Mariners. I already talked about the situation if he signs, and if he doesn’t they’ll find a stopgap or work from within. Best case scenario would be making a play for an available and more viable option like Nick Swisher, who apparently may not even have a starting job in New York now.
Another update on the story…
As expected, Griffey did not make the originally planned tripped to Seattle for a physical, but did meet with Braves GM Frank Wren (from MLBlogs writer Mark Bowman). While it doesn’t make sense that the Braves should be courting Griffey due to him having to play the field, it seems like that is exactly what they’re doing. Anderson would be a better fit for them because he still can field his position.
It seems like Griffey will make the announcement Tuesday, and there doesn’t seem to be a clear indication of which he will choose. To think, a month ago Griffey’s agent could barely get his client a phonecall, and now Griffey may have a choice between two suitors. The Mariners by all indications do not seem to want to get in to aggressive negotiations with Griffey and may be more than satisfied with letting him walk if the price becomes too much of an issue. This would probably be a smart move for the M’s, as long as it doesn’t mean they settle for Garret Anderson as a replacement. From the Mariners standpoint, Griffey makes much more sense filling the open DH slot because he has far more upside as a hitter than Anderson.
Finally, Junior has made the decision to come home. In what became an annoying, drawn out, extremely long episode, we’re right back where we were last week. So again… welcome home, Junior.