Larry Stone had the first report that Ken Griffey Jr. has agreed to terms with the Seattle Mariners for the 2010 season.  Here’s the official presser.  The deal is thought to be similar to his 2009 contract.

I’m in a state of shock… or something.  I’m not sure how I feel.  Disappointed?  That’s not the right word.  “Whatever,” perhaps.

It was always a real possibility that he could return– in fact, it probably should have been expected– but after the emotional sendoff it just didn’t seem right for him to come back and do it again.  I know it would be more deserving to send him off with a ring, but what he received in October is more than most players could hope for.

I love Griffey as you do and enjoyed seeing the Mariners have fun as much as anyone, but… well, you know.

Of course, this isn’t the end of the world.  Using a roster spot on Griffey doesn’t cripple the team, it just makes the rest of the moves this offseason even more important.  There is now a little less room for error if the Mariners want to make the playoffs in 2010, and there wasn’t much room to begin with.

Most reports leading up to the signing stated that Griffey was comfortable accepting a reduced role, so he won’t be seeing the 450 plate appearances he got this past season, probably getting between 200-300 instead.  I’d like to think that Griffey’s return has zero effect on the Mariners pursuing a “real” DH, but it’s probably too early to say either way.

Hopefully Griffey can use his super dooper clubhouse chemistry powers to lure in a free agent that Seattle otherwise would have trouble pulling.

As Dave mentions, this may spell the end for Ryan Langerhans.  Losing a true outfielder off the bench handcuffs the Mariners a bit, but they do have some flexibility.  All their projected starting outfielders can handle center field to an extent, and Bill Hall can probably handle all three outfield spots if healthy.  That said, the Mariners could just carry one less reliever instead.  We’ll see.