Reports: Mariners win Griffey sweepstakes

Feb 19, 2009 - 1:52 AM By PA SportsTicker

Ken Griffey Jr.'s Hall of Fame career is about to come full circle.

According to multiple published reports on Wednesday, Griffey is close to an agreement on a one-year contract with the Seattle Mariners, with whom he began his big-league career in 1989.

While financial terms have not been disclosed, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer is reporting that it is an incentive-laden deal. The reported agreement comes on the heels of reports earlier this week that Griffey had agreed to join the Atlanta Braves, who were also in need of a lefthanded outfielder.

While Seattle had the nostalgia factor - as Griffey had expressed interest about returning to where it all began as a tribute to the fans who supported him for most of a decade - Atlanta is just a one-hour flight from his home in Orlando, Florida. But the Mariners, who could potentially offer him more playing time because of the American League's designated hitter, ultimately won out.

It has been more than nine years since he left Seattle in a blockbuster trade to the Cincinnati Reds prior to the 2000 season. However, his tenure in Cincinnati ended at the trade deadline last season, when he was dealt to the Chicago White Sox.

However, after belting just three home runs during his two months in the Windy City, the White Sox made little effort to bring him back for a full season. That opened the door for the Mariners - who are rebuilding with a new general manager, a new manager and an oncoming youth movement - to bring him back for a homecoming.

Griffey broke into baseball as the first overall pick in 1987 by Seattle, then went on to win Rookie of the Year honors two years later as a 19-year-old. In 11 seasons with the Mariners, he belted 398 home runs and drove in 1,152 runs while leading the club to two American League West titles. He also won the AL MVP award in 1997, hitting .304 and reaching career highs with 56 homers, 147 RBI and 125 runs scored.

He requested a trade following the 1999 season and the Mariners obliged, sending him to Cincinnati, the city where he spent much of his youth while his father played for the Reds during the 1970s.

At the time, he looked like a real threat to challenge baseball's all-time record books, but injuries derailed him for much of his time in Cincinnati, particularly from 2002 to 2004. With his career winding down, he is fifth on MLB's all-time home runs list with 611 - 49 behind fourth-place Willie Mays.

The 39-year-old outfielder first expressed interest in returning to Seattle during the 2007 season, when his Reds visited Safeco Field for a three-game interleague series, According to a report on MLB.com last week, he told Fox Sports Net in a postgame interview back then, "For the simple reason that this is the place where I grew up, and I owe it to the people of Seattle and to myself to retire as a Mariner."

In 20 major-league seasons, Griffey has hit .288 with 611 homers, 1,772 RBI, 2,680 hits and 184 stolen bases.