Five teams have expressed interest in Ken Griffey Jr., according to Jon Heyman who confirms the Rays and Mariners are two of them. One other AL team and two NL clubs comprise the five.
For Griffey, Seattle would be a nostalgic return; however, the Rays would provide the convenience of playing two hours from his Orlando home. Writes Heyman,
"Griffey always has been a dedicated family man, so the convenience would appeal to him. The Rays are looking for one or two hitters, and while Griffey’s on their list, a couple other younger players, such as Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell, and perhaps Jason Giambi or Garrett Anderson may be higher on it. Adam Dunn is another big hitter in a free-agent market still stacked with sluggers."
The Kid is 39 years old. Despite hitting 15 homeruns for the Reds, he parked only 3 after being dealt to the White Sox. He hit only .249 last season with an OPS of .777. His agent, Brian Goldberg, says the low output was due to a hidden knee injury he suffered after tripping "over a misplaced foot locker in the Reds clubhouse," says Heyman; however, this excuse doesn’t build any confidence in his ability to stay healthy. Griffey could come at a bargain for a team looking for a short term solution at DH.
