Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Sweeney made Seattle’s DH spot one of the least productive in the league and their clubhouse the most cuddly.  Both players would like to return to their 2009 roles, but it’s pretty obvious that the Mariners need a major upgrade if they want to take the next step.  Griffey and Sweeney definitely improved morale in ’09, and that can only be seen as a good thing.  I can’t comment on how much effect it had on the field, but it definitely contributed positively to making Seattle a place players want to stay and hopefully a place a few more free agents would like to play, which is also a very good thing.

The Mariners won’t be bringing back both guys, but there is a good chance at least one of them will come back.

Jim Street and C. Trent Rosecrans both reported yesterday that Griffey’s agent will be meeting with the Mariners in “the next few days” to discuss Griffey’s future with the team and the implication is that an announcement will be made sooner than later.  This one probably won’t be dragging out until Spring Training like last offseason.

Griffey wants to come back and continue to be part of the franchise turnaround.  He wants to be part of Seattle’s next playoff run with a chance to win his first World Series ring.  That would be the storybook ending, but 2009 was a fitting end in itself.  He came back “home,” got his nightly ovations and thank yous, produced a few exciting moments in a season that was a major turnaround for the franchise before riding off into the sunset on the shoulders of his teammates.

Do I want Griffey to come back? Not really. I’d like him to retire. But if Griffey wants to keep playing, I have to admit I’d rather see him continue his career in a Mariners uniform rather than somewhere else.  If he ended his career in another city it would make 2009 seem like a waste in some ways.  That said, could Griffey find a decent gig anywhere else?  Is it Seattle or retirement?

If Griffey does come back he wouldn’t be the regular DH.  He and the team would be best served if he served as Jack Wilson’s personal late inning pinch hitter, DHing once or twice per week.  If he gets any more playing time than that he’s hindering the team’s ability to make the playoffs.  That is, of course, if he’s playing at the same level in 2010 as he was in 2009.  Maybe he continues to decline, maybe he gets himself into better shape and improves a bit.

If Griffey doesn’t return Sweeney might step in.  Sweeney doesn’t have the sentimental connection, but in some ways he’d be the better fit if one of the guys is destined to return.  He hit .281/.335/.442 last season, OPSing around 1.000 over the seasons final two months.  He can run a little bit (compared to Junior).  Based on the reports, he seemed to me to be a greater clubhouse influence than Griffey.  He has no qualms with filling a small role.  According to Street, Sweeney has yet to be contacted by the Mariners about a 2010 role.

If Griffey or Sweeney do return, I think a quality solution would be to re-sign Russell Branyan and another aging, injury prone 1B/DH type like Carlos Delgado, Nick Johnson or whoever else.  Branyan and Delgado/Johnson/etc. can rotate between 1B and DH to stay fresh and healthy, with Griffey/Sweeney jumping in when one of them needs a day off.