RAMMSTEIN
Registered Trader
PEORIA, Ariz. -- Ken Griffey Jr. chose to honor the city that gave him his start rather than play for a team closer to his family.
Griffey selected the Seattle Mariners over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night, agreeing to a one-year contract with the team that made him a star.
"He's coming home. ... I can't begin to tell you how ecstatic we are. He is, too," Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik said in confirming the deal.
Zduriencik called Griffey "arguably one of the greatest athletes to ever play in the Seattle area."
The deal is for at least $2 million, plus incentives, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations who requested anonymity because the Mariners would not discuss contract details. The incentives could earn Griffey an additional million or more.
Griffey, who is expected to arrive in camp Friday or Saturday, is fifth on baseball's career home run list with 611.
He was No. 1 on the list of stars Seattle fans wanted most to reclaim.
Now that the Mariners have determined Griffey is healthy following knee surgery last fall -- he passed an extensive physical on Sunday -- Seattle is hoping he brings at least a semblance of the skills he provided as the dynamic leader who ushered in the franchise's heyday in the mid-1990s.
Ken Griffey Jr. spent 11 seasons with the M's from 1989. (Getty Images)
"We are revitalizing this franchise. He brings something to the table there," Zduriencik deadpanned after he made his biggest splash yet while trying to resurrect the Mariners.
Seattle lost 101 games last season and hasn't been the playoffs since 2001.
"Ken wanted to come back to this city that he loves, to this fan base that he loves," Zduriencik said.
Atlanta appeared to be Griffey's choice on Tuesday for the same reason the former Mariners star left Seattle in 2000: geography. The Braves' spring training camp is about a 20-minute drive from the Griffey family home in Orlando, Fla., and Atlanta is about an hour away by plane.
But after conflicting reports about where the aging star would settle, Griffey ultimately chose to follow through on his proclamation two years ago when he came to Seattle while playing with the Reds -- that he wanted to finish his career as a Mariner.
"We were informed tonight that Ken Griffey Jr. has decided to return to Seattle," said Braves general manager Frank Wren, who absorbed another in a series of disappointments. "We will continue to be open to other possibilities to improve our outfield offense and, at the same time, give our young players an opportunity to show us they can win that job."
Zduriencik said the Mariners were the beneficiaries of Griffey wanting to cement his legacy in Seattle.
"Oh, I don't think there's any doubt about that," he said. "Everyone knows Ken Griffey is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and he's returning to his roots. That doesn't happen too often."
The Mariners have a job as designated hitter and perhaps in left field waiting for him. The Braves were offering a spot in the outfield -- plus that cherished proximity to home.
He made his first opening day start with the Mariners as a 19-year-old in 1989. He stayed for 11 seasons and through 10 All-Star games before he asked for a trade closer to his home. The Mariners obliged by sending him to Cincinnati just before the 2000 season.
Griffey's return is a jolt for the Mariners, the first team with a $100 million payroll to lose 100 games -- last season.
"A rejuvenated Ken Griffey coming back to where he started has to be a fabulous motivator for him," Zduriencik said.
The GM had been trying to add a power hitter, and specifically a designated hitter, for months and was also talking to the agent for free agent Garret Anderson. The Mariners prefer a left-handed bat because the dimensions of pitcher-friendly Safeco Field are shortest in right field.
The configuration fits the left-handed Griffey so well, the Mariners presented him with a framed photo of their stadium before a Reds-Mariners game in 2007, with the words "The House that Griffey Built" across the top. Griffey played just half a season in it before getting the trade he demanded.
Yet the fans in Seattle still love "Junior."
Griffey has been hampered by injuries since he left and had arthroscopic knee surgery following the 2008 season, the last half of which he spent with the White Sox. Zduriencik said the Mariners' extensive research convinced the team he is as healthy as he's been in years.
He is the Mariners' career leader in home runs (398), slugging percentage (.569) and trails only Edgar Martinez in team history in games played with 1,535. He's also second to Martinez in Seattle history in hits, RBI, extra-base hits, at-bats, doubles, runs and total bases.
Seattle's starting outfield currently has Ichiro Suzuki in right field, Franklin Gutierrez in center and question marks in left. Zduriencik left open the possibility Griffey could play in the field.
The loss of Griffey was another major hitch in Atlanta's efforts to rebuild following a 72-90 season -- their worst since 1990.
In the offseason, the Braves unsuccessfully pursued a trade for San Diego ace Jake Peavy and were spurned by free agent pitcher A.J. Burnett. Team officials thought they had a $30 million, three-year deal to bring shortstop Rafael Furcal back to Atlanta, but were enraged when he wound up re-signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Atlanta also lost longtime ace John Smoltz.
Now Griffey is coming back to where he spent the prime of his career -- to Seattle.
"I know in his heart of hearts," Zduriencik said, "he probably wanted to be here all along."
Griffey selected the Seattle Mariners over the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night, agreeing to a one-year contract with the team that made him a star.
"He's coming home. ... I can't begin to tell you how ecstatic we are. He is, too," Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik said in confirming the deal.
Zduriencik called Griffey "arguably one of the greatest athletes to ever play in the Seattle area."
The deal is for at least $2 million, plus incentives, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations who requested anonymity because the Mariners would not discuss contract details. The incentives could earn Griffey an additional million or more.
Griffey, who is expected to arrive in camp Friday or Saturday, is fifth on baseball's career home run list with 611.
He was No. 1 on the list of stars Seattle fans wanted most to reclaim.
Now that the Mariners have determined Griffey is healthy following knee surgery last fall -- he passed an extensive physical on Sunday -- Seattle is hoping he brings at least a semblance of the skills he provided as the dynamic leader who ushered in the franchise's heyday in the mid-1990s.
Ken Griffey Jr. spent 11 seasons with the M's from 1989. (Getty Images)
"We are revitalizing this franchise. He brings something to the table there," Zduriencik deadpanned after he made his biggest splash yet while trying to resurrect the Mariners.
Seattle lost 101 games last season and hasn't been the playoffs since 2001.
"Ken wanted to come back to this city that he loves, to this fan base that he loves," Zduriencik said.
Atlanta appeared to be Griffey's choice on Tuesday for the same reason the former Mariners star left Seattle in 2000: geography. The Braves' spring training camp is about a 20-minute drive from the Griffey family home in Orlando, Fla., and Atlanta is about an hour away by plane.
But after conflicting reports about where the aging star would settle, Griffey ultimately chose to follow through on his proclamation two years ago when he came to Seattle while playing with the Reds -- that he wanted to finish his career as a Mariner.
"We were informed tonight that Ken Griffey Jr. has decided to return to Seattle," said Braves general manager Frank Wren, who absorbed another in a series of disappointments. "We will continue to be open to other possibilities to improve our outfield offense and, at the same time, give our young players an opportunity to show us they can win that job."
Zduriencik said the Mariners were the beneficiaries of Griffey wanting to cement his legacy in Seattle.
"Oh, I don't think there's any doubt about that," he said. "Everyone knows Ken Griffey is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and he's returning to his roots. That doesn't happen too often."
The Mariners have a job as designated hitter and perhaps in left field waiting for him. The Braves were offering a spot in the outfield -- plus that cherished proximity to home.
He made his first opening day start with the Mariners as a 19-year-old in 1989. He stayed for 11 seasons and through 10 All-Star games before he asked for a trade closer to his home. The Mariners obliged by sending him to Cincinnati just before the 2000 season.
Griffey's return is a jolt for the Mariners, the first team with a $100 million payroll to lose 100 games -- last season.
"A rejuvenated Ken Griffey coming back to where he started has to be a fabulous motivator for him," Zduriencik said.
The GM had been trying to add a power hitter, and specifically a designated hitter, for months and was also talking to the agent for free agent Garret Anderson. The Mariners prefer a left-handed bat because the dimensions of pitcher-friendly Safeco Field are shortest in right field.
The configuration fits the left-handed Griffey so well, the Mariners presented him with a framed photo of their stadium before a Reds-Mariners game in 2007, with the words "The House that Griffey Built" across the top. Griffey played just half a season in it before getting the trade he demanded.
Yet the fans in Seattle still love "Junior."
Griffey has been hampered by injuries since he left and had arthroscopic knee surgery following the 2008 season, the last half of which he spent with the White Sox. Zduriencik said the Mariners' extensive research convinced the team he is as healthy as he's been in years.
He is the Mariners' career leader in home runs (398), slugging percentage (.569) and trails only Edgar Martinez in team history in games played with 1,535. He's also second to Martinez in Seattle history in hits, RBI, extra-base hits, at-bats, doubles, runs and total bases.
Seattle's starting outfield currently has Ichiro Suzuki in right field, Franklin Gutierrez in center and question marks in left. Zduriencik left open the possibility Griffey could play in the field.
The loss of Griffey was another major hitch in Atlanta's efforts to rebuild following a 72-90 season -- their worst since 1990.
In the offseason, the Braves unsuccessfully pursued a trade for San Diego ace Jake Peavy and were spurned by free agent pitcher A.J. Burnett. Team officials thought they had a $30 million, three-year deal to bring shortstop Rafael Furcal back to Atlanta, but were enraged when he wound up re-signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Atlanta also lost longtime ace John Smoltz.
Now Griffey is coming back to where he spent the prime of his career -- to Seattle.
"I know in his heart of hearts," Zduriencik said, "he probably wanted to be here all along."
