Braves seeking Griffey
Published: February 18, 2009, 12:30 am
Story tools:
Share this story:
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The Atlanta Braves tried to close a deal with Ken Griffey Jr. on Tuesday, hoping the aging slugger who ranks fifth on baseball’s career homer list can bolster an outfield that produced the fewest long balls in the majors last season.
The 39-year-old Griffey is clearly past his prime, but his 2008 numbers — a .249 average, 18 homers and 71 RBIs — were more productive than any of Atlanta’s outfielders.
With right fielder Jeff Francoeur having a miserable season and no one able to win full-time jobs in center and left, the Braves got only 27 homers from those three spots.
Griffey had narrowed his search for a new home to Seattle, where he starred from 1989-99, and the Braves, a team his father played for in the 1980s and long on Junior’s wish list.
Atlanta third baseman Chipper Jones said he’s talked with Griffey by phone, hoping to persuade him to sign with the Braves.
“Certainly all signs point to this being a good fit for him,” Jones said after a spring training workout. “He’s wanted to play here for a long time. Now he gets his opportunity. We’ll see if he follows through.”
Reader comments
Log into MyBuffalo to post a comment
MyBuffalo is the new social network from Buffalo.com. Your MyBuffalo account lets you comment on and rate stories at buffalonews.com. You can also head over to mybuffalo.com to share your blog posts, stories, photos, and videos with the community. Join now or learn more.
Comments have been disabled.
Due to a high volume of submissions that violate The News’ guidelines, commenting is no longer available on this story. If you’d like to share your thoughts on this story, click here to get information on contributing to The News’ opinion pages.