Gillick departure may open door

An opportunity exists for former Seattle superstar Ken Griffey Jr. to get traded back from Cincinnati.

Updated: October 1, 2003, 9:15 AM ET
By Jim Baker | MLB Insider
Is it possible that Ken Griffey, Jr. could return to the Seattle, the scene of his greatest triumphs? Bob Finnigan floats the possibility in today's Seattle Times on a day when it was announced that general manager Pat Gillick will be stepping down from his post. He will remain as a consultant for an undetermined amount of time.

Gillick has run the club for four years during which time they have never won fewer than 91 games and averaged 98 wins per season. Why the retirement? Finnigan writes he Gillick felt he had "four shots on goal or four kicks" and, "Feeling it was time to give someone else a chance."

In the wake of the announcement that Pat Gillick would not be returning as general manager, there appears to be an opportunity for the former Mariner superstar to get traded back from Cincinnati. Griffey, who would be a San Diego Padre right now if not for the whims of Phil Nevin, might well be open to such a return says one intimate: "Junior is willing to come back, maybe under any circumstances," the friend told Finnigan. "The honeymoon in Cincinnati has crashed and burned. He's been hurt a lot, so he knows he has a lot to prove and he knows he has to be in shape, great shape, to prove it."

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

Jim Baker | email

Page 2
Jim Baker is an author at Baseball Prospectus and a frequent contributor to Page 2. You can e-mail Jim at bottlebat@gmail.com.

SPONSORED HEADLINES

MORE MLB HEADLINES

MOST SENT STORIES ON ESPN.COM

ALSO SEE