AP News
(2009-11-12 01:47:06)
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Slugger Ken Griffey Jr. and the Seattle Mariners have reached an agreement on a one-year contract, the team said on its website Wednesday (http://www.seattle.mariners.mlb.com)
Griffey, 39, whose 630 career home runs ranks him fifth on the all-time list, batted a career-low .214 with 19 homers and 57 runs batted in last season, mostly as a designated hitter.
"I'd like to thank the Mariners organization for inviting me back to play in 2010," Griffey said.
"While 2009 was an awesome experience for me, my ultimate goal is for the Mariners to get to and win the World Series."
Griffey spent 11 seasons with the Mariners before going to Cincinnati in 2000. After a brief stint with the Chicago White Sox in 2008, he returned to Seattle last season but knee problems limited him to just 11 games in the field.
"What he did in that clubhouse, and what he did with his presence, I think goes beyond what any of us expected," general manager Jack Zduriencik said.
The terms of the contract were not announced.
(Writing by Steve Ginsburg in Washington; Editing by John Mehaffey)
