Russell Branyan Left Naked in Mariners Lineup

Just when Mariners slugger Russell Branyan had remade himself from a swing-and-miss whiff machine into a .300 hitting power slugger -- and was on pace to hit more then 40 homers -- he has been left naked in the lineup due to the departure of third baseman Adrian Beltre for shoulder surgery.

Without Beltre's big bat behind him, Branyan will be lucky to see anything to hit for the rest of the year. It will be very telling if Branyan fails to swat any longballs during the Mariners upcoming visit to the New York City wind tunnel known as new Yankee stadium.

Pity that the Mariners front office this year was more interested in playing travel agent for Ken Griffey's feel good farewell tour and dog-and-pony show than putting a winning team on the field.

Griffey In the Dark on Mariners Talk

Ken Griffey Jr. is playing golf this week in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. According to various reports, his agent and the Seattle Mariners are in stepped-up discussions about Griffey returning to the place where his career began.

What does Griffey have to say about it all? He's in the dark. He told the Association Press:

"We don't know what we're doing next year with respect to Seattle. It's all rumors," Griffey said Thursday after finishing his round at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in California.

... Griffey said he was in the dark on where the talks now stand.

"I really don't even know. My agent is handling," he said moments after stepping off the Poppy Hills course.

When asked if he still wants to play despite knee surgery last October, Griffey said: "As long as it's still fun, I want to keep playing."

Report: Mariners Closing In On Griffey

ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick is reporting, citing two anonymous sources, that the Mariners are now focused on bringing Ken Griffey Jr. back to his baseball home:

The Seattle Mariners have stepped up the pace in negotiations that could bring Ken Griffey Jr. back to the city where he spent the first 11 years of his major league career, two baseball sources told ESPN.com.

Although it's unclear whether the Mariners have extended a formal offer, two sources said the team made significant progress this week in talks to bring back Griffey. Several reports this winter have indicated that Griffey is seeking a one-year deal for a base salary in the $5 million range.

Any new sense of urgency the Mariners feel may be in reaction to the deals of Bobby Abreu (Angels) and Adam Dunn (Nationals) the past couple days. In the free-agent game of musical outfield positions, Griffey and Garrett Anderson are still standing.

As noted a few days ago, the Reds' team doctor is convinced that the 2009 model of Griffey will look more like the 2007 version (.277, 30 homers) than the 2008 one (.249, 18 homers). His prognosis is based on Griffey's recovery from the latest in the long string of leg problems that plagued The Kid after departing Seattle for Cincinnati.

Griffey is playing golf this week in the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. So his knee must be feeling fine; you can't swing free in golf with a bum knee, any more than you can in baseball.

Angels Now Favorite for Abreu?

Earlier today we posted the New York Daily News report that the New York Mets have rekindled their interest in free agent outfielder Bobby Abreu.

Now FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Los Angeles Angels may well be Abreu's destination, according to his sources.

Rosenthal writes:

The Angels have asked outright waivers on right-hander Nick Green to create a spot on their 40-man roster, according to a major-league source.

That roster currently is full, so the Angels could be trying to create a spot for a free-agent hitter. They prefer Abreu to Adam Dunn, another source said.

In addition, one GM pursuing Abreu said Tuesday that he was told Abreu was close to signing with an Amercian League team. The Mariners, the other AL team with interest, are believed to be more focused on Ken Griffey Jr. and Garret Anderson.

Rosenthal does provide this we're-not-really-sure-what-it-all-means caveat, however: " it is not known whether the Angels and Abreu are close to a deal, or merely in the talking stages."

Update: Yahoo's Tim Brown says an agreement between Abreu and the Angels is near, and it's for one year at $5 million.

Amber Alert: Ken Griffey Jr.

(Update: Griffey to the Mariners looking like it will happen.)

Is Ken Griffey Jr. retired? And if so, is that voluntarily or because no team in baseball wants him?

The only job Griffey has right now is the largely ceremonial one with the title of American Public Diplomacy Envoy. He was named to the position last year by then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. And considering the lackluster reaction to Griffey's baseball free agency, Condi may be getting more interest in front offices than Griffey is.

But that could soon change. The Mariners are known to be mulling over a Griffey homecoming, and Griffey's former Seattle teammate Harold Reynolds has been quoted as saying that Griffey wants to head back to Seattle.

What might Griffey get? At age 39, coming off another injury-addled season in which he batted only .249 with 18 homers for the Reds and White Sox, Griffey isn't asking for much: a one-year, incentive-laden deal.

And what might a team that signs Griffey get? He's a poor outfielder now, and needs to go to the AL and DH. But at least one person is convinced Griffey will be much better on the field in 2009 than in 2008, assuming a team comes along that's willing to put him on the field.

Reds team doctor Tim Kremchek is quoted thusly in the Cincinnati Enquirer (he was actually talking to ESPN's Buster Olney when Kremchek gave this quote):

"I told the Reds this - he's going to be a different player (in 2009) than he was last year. He's got a lot to prove to people, that he can still put up good numbers and help a team."

In 2007, Griffey batted .277 with 30 homers, a quite respectable season. Dr. Kremchek's contention is that Griffey can put up those numbers again now that the meniscus and cartilage damage Kremchek repaired in October has healed. (But what part of Griffey's body will give out next?)

If Andruw Jones can still find a job, then surely somebody will take a shot in the dark with Griffey, too.

White Sox to Add Ken Griffey Jr.

The Reds and White Sox have reached a tentative deal that would land Ken Griffey Jr. in Chicago.

The Chisox, clinging to a 1.5 game lead over the Twins in the AL Central, uncrossed their fingers when Griffey signed off on the deal. As a 10 and 5 player, Griffey has veto rights over any trade, but the 38-year-old is in his 19th season and may see this as his last best chance to play in a World Series.

While hitting only .245 this year, Griffey would bring an impressive resume and a veteran presence to the Chicago clubhouse, along with his 608 career home runs. Junior has been hot of late, extending his hitting streak to 12 games on Wednesday with a home run.