Seattle Mariners Bring Back Ken Griffey Jr. For One More Year

Here is what I wrote about the possibility of Ken Griffey Jr. returning to the Seattle Mariners in September:

“There has been a lot of talk recently that future Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. wants to return to the Seattle Mariners in 2010. I, for one, think this is great. Griffey has earned the right to play for as long as he wants.

“Griffey has said repeatedly that this season has been the most fun he has had in a while and his energy has rubbed off on teammates. He has brought leadership to the Mariner’s clubhouse and from an organizational perspective, he can still put people in the seats.

“However, if the Mariners are serious about winning in 2010, then Griffey can come back, as long as he is a bench/part-time player.”

Flash forward two months later and now we will find out how serious the Mariners are about winning in 2010.

According to Larry Stone of the Seattle Times, the Mariners have re-signed Griffey Jr. to a one-year deal for $2 million, plus incentives.

Now, like I said, this is great. Griffey is one of those rare players in sports who have earned the right to come back if a team wants him. This is also a smart business move by the Mariners.

In a bad economy, teams have to do whatever they can to put people in the seats and to buy merchandise. Griffey, despite his lack of production in recent years, still has the ability to put people in seats and sell merchandise.

However, Griffey can’t be the everyday DH if the Mariners want to secure a playoff berth in 2010. If you want to bring Griffey back to be the main left-handed hitter off the bench against righties,fine.

He did hit 13 home runs in 312 ABs against right-handed pitching last year.

But, the Mariners have to bring in a legit, full-time DH, who can hit between 25-30 home runs in 2010; it’s a must.

They have the defense, they have an ace, and they have the pieces in place to be very competitive in 2011, now they need a run producer in the middle of that lineup.

Bottom line is, this is a good business move by the Mariners. Only time will tell if this is a good baseball move.

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