PEORIA, Ariz. — While mixed messages swirled Tuesday amid reports that Ken Griffey Jr. had — or hadn’t — chosen the Atlanta Braves over the Seattle Mariners, the man who has fans in two cities on edge spoke up.
“We are still kicking things around with my family and have not made a decision,” Griffey told a reporter from MLB.com.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, quoting Braves general manager Frank Wren, said no announcement was expected until today at the earliest.
The newspaper reported Tuesday morning that Griffey had decided to accept the Braves’ offer of about $2 million plus incentives for plate appearances. The newspaper cited a source close to Griffey and the contract negotiations.
However, speaking to MLB.com reporter Jim Street, Griffey said he was at home in Orlando with his wife, Melissa, and agent Brian Goldberg trying to make a difficult decision.
“This is the first time in my career that I have been a free agent, and it’s nerve-wracking,” Griffey said. “I love Seattle. You know how close I am to my wife and kids.”
The Journal-Constitution said Griffey contacted the Braves last week saying he was interested in playing for them. It’s not known if that happened before or after the Mariners made their offer.
Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said he followed online reports throughout the day Tuesday. Just before 6 p.m., he left the Mariners’ spring training complex in Peoria to dine with CEO Howard Lincoln and president Chuck Armstrong.
“We haven’t heard anything,” Zduriencik said. “We haven’t talked to Junior. We haven’t talked to Brian Goldberg. We don’t know anything.”
Armstrong, who has maintained a strong relationship with both Griffey and Goldberg, said he placed calls to both on Tuesday but hadn’t heard back.
Besides the contract, which is similar to what the Mariners offered last week, each city offers an attractive lure to Griffey.
The Braves’ spring training camp is in Orlando near Griffey’s home, where his two kids are in school. His daughter plays basketball for an AAU team based in Atlanta and his son will play high school football this fall in Orlando.
The Mariners offer a chance for Griffey to return to Seattle, where he began his career. He said two years ago he wanted to retire as a Mariner.
Griffey would play left field for the Braves, probably platooning with Matt Diaz. With the Mariners, he would play left field but also DH, which would give him more chances to rest his legs, which have troubled him in recent years. He had knee surgery in October to repair partially torn meniscus and cartilage which Goldberg, his agent, said hampered his swing.
The Mariners spoke with Goldberg early in the offseason but talks didn’t get serious until recently. They had made runs at two free-agent sluggers — Bobby Abreu, who signed with the Angels, and Adam Dunn, who signed with the Nationals.
A possible fallback for the Mariners if Griffey chooses the Braves is Garret Anderson, who batted .293 with 15 homers and 84 RBI last year with the Angels. Agent Scott Boras said he has spoken with the Mariners about Anderson.
Veteran outfielder Jim Edmonds, who batted .235 with 20 home runs and 55 RBI for the Padres and Cubs last year, also remains unsigned. First baseman Nick Johnson said he would welcome a trade from the Nationals after they signed Dunn.
Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu didn’t believe the stream of newspaper and online reports the past few days have been a distraction to the team.
“I just spent the last 21/2 hours or so dealing with what we’re dealing with here, and I’m happy about that,” Wakamatsu said after Tuesday’s workout. “We’re trying to build relationships now and trying to get people who are here to understand what we’re trying to do here.”
Read Kirby Arnold’s blog from spring training at www.heraldnet.com
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