Filed under: Seattle, Mariners, Reds, AL West, NL Central, Cincinnati

If the Reds don’t pick up his $16 million option this winter, Ken Griffey Jr. will be a free agent for the first time in his career. It’s kind of amazing that a guy can have a career that spans two decades and never hit the open market, but it’s a testament to his ability that the Mariners and Reds have locked him up with long-term extensions rather than risk losing him.

Of course, he’s not quite the player he was when he signed his current deal back in 2000, and now that he’s 38 years old, the Reds probably don’t have any plans on exercising that option, which means he’ll play a starring role in his share of trade rumors this summer. That’s something he both understands and expects. From USATODAY.com:

“We’re in a tough situation here,” says Griffey, whose team improved to 13-20 with Monday’s 5-3 win against the Cubs. “We either turn things around or they start getting rid of everybody around here.

“My situation is different only because I can tell them where I want to go. I want to be in position to win a championship. I’m not strong-arming anybody, but that’s the way it is.”

Griffey, who enters today hitting .229 with four home runs and 15 RBI, says he expects the Reds to approach him before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline seeking his approval for a trade.

Continue reading Ken Griffey Expects to Be Traded

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