Ken Griffey Jr. Plots Return to Mariners; Bring Him Back for Ichiro’s Sake

Griffey’s Return Would Spike Program Sales

We’ll likely know this week if Ken Griffey, Jr., and the Mariners will strike a deal to bring Junior back for his 22nd MLB season, 12th as a Mariner.

Last year, Griffey demanded a multimillion-dollar salary and attendance-based performance incentives to return to Seattle. This year, as if in tune with the rest of us poor saps in this disaster of an economy, Griffey has readjusted his expectations.

In negotiations that will take place over the next few days, Griffey’s agent has telegraphed his “bargaining” strategy.

“Whether Junior comes back or not, he certainly has no demands as far as dollars or playing time,” Brian Goldberg told the Times‘ Larry Stone.

In other words, Griffey will show up at M’s HQ bearing a “Will work for food” sign.

Not that he needs the money. Griffey’s earned nearly $150 million in his baseball career, and that doesn’t count endorsement dollars. He apparently just wants to keep playing for the love of the game.

But do the Mariners want him? For all his clubhouse leadership, and for as much as I personally loved seeing him play, Griffey was one of the worst DHs in the American League.

Far better options exist on the free agent market: Carlos Delgado, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guererro, and Hideki Matsui, all of whom far outperformed Griffey at bat last season.

Or the Mariners may choose to bring back Russell Branyan as their designated hitter and hand first base to young Mike Carp.

Griffey could serve as a pinch-hitter, but most managers like versatility and speed off their bench; Griffey doesn’t have either.

Mariner watchers are weighing in on the issue:

MLB.com’s Jim Street: “(Griffey) was an absolute joy to be around the entire ’09 season and it rubbed off on everyone. That reason alone seems to make it worthwhile bringing him back for at least one more season.”

The Times‘ Larry Stone: “I believe Griffey still has something to offer. He can tickle Ichiro, bring laughter to the clubhouse, hit an occasional bomb and take one more crack at October. Sounds great to me.”

USS Mariner’s Derek Zumsteg: “The 2010 Mariners need to improve their offense, and they need better hitting from their designated hitters. Griffey doesn’t offer that. And as much as Seattle loves him, well, we love Edgar too, but we wouldn’t bring him back to DH next year.”

My take is this: Do it for Ichiro. Griffey’s presence took the pressure of being the team’s superstar off Ichiro’s shoulders, and gave Ichiro a friend in a clubhouse that had turned against him. The hit king responded with his best season since ’04.

If Griffey doesn’t mind coming back as the 25th man on the roster, and getting only a few at bats a week on the rare occasions that American League teams need a pinch-hitter, the M’s won’t really lose anything from a strictly statistical perspective. And they certainly gain if Ichiro hits .350 again.