Photo Source: Seattle Times

This post is about one thing, and one thing only: how Ken Griffey Jr. will perform on the field for the Mariners next year. If you want to talk about all your cheery memories or any other non-baseball stuff, this isn't the post to comment on. Let me warn to those who are not well versed in sabermetrics that there will be numbers in this post, and I will not stop to explain them. Every stat I will use was talked about here, and can easily be found and defined elsewhere on the web. With that out of the way, lets get down to business.
My views on Griffey have been well-documented, but this might not be a bad signing as long as Griffey is used correctly. Before I explain what that entails, let me say what type of player Giffey is now. A lot of people have the image of the MVP Griffey of the nineties, the one who crossed home plate to win against the Yankees. Many people don't realize this important fact: that Ken Griffey Jr. has been gone for a long, long time. In fact, almost as soon as signing his long contract with the Reds, Junior went on a decline phase that is really nothing less then astonishing. Ken Griffey's Wins Above Replacement since 2002 is 4.9. To put that in perspective, JJ Hardy of the Milwaukee Brewers had a WAR of 4.9 in 2008 alone. Since 2002, Ken Griffey Jr. has been worth approximately 15.6 million dollars to the Reds and White Sox. He was paid 73.3 million, making his contract among the very worst of all time. Griffey has not only not been good, he has been genuinely bad.
However, there are a few reasons that this signing might not be such a bad thing. Griffey will almost certainly DH for the Mariners. If he does, we take away the worst part of his game: defense. Griffey's reputation was as such back in the day that his struggles have been ignored. However, Griffey has been the worst defensive player in baseball for quite some time. How bad is he? Since 2002, Griffey has been about 50 runs (or five wins) worse in the field than the poster boy for bad defense, Manny Ramirez. Getting Griffey away from the glove at all costs will mean big things for his value on the field.
This doesn't mean that Griffey should play 162 games at DH. While Griffey himself has tried to contest this point for years, He is really bad against lefties.He has a large platoon split and he will hurt the team if he hits against lefties. If the Mariners can find him a good platoon partner (guys who don't field and only hit lefties are very, very easy to find), Griffey can be an even greater value to this team. Ken Griffey can be a productive player for the Mariners next year, but only if the Mariners use him correctly. Griffey must never come into contact with a glove and should be benched against righties, but also one more thing: Griffey must be prepared and ready to take a reduced role or be released entirely if he doesn't play well. Griffey is not going to be the Mariners' best player next year. He won't be in the top 10, maybe not in the top 20. If Griffey doesn't realize that, then this is a bad signing. If Jeff Clement gets hurt again and can't catch, Griffey must be willing to give up his role. If Branyan gets hurt, Griffey should be willing to accept a spot start at first base or something like that. Griffey can't act like he's the big shot anymore, and fans shouldn't treat him that way.
Now, if the Mariners make Griffey do all these things, and I expect them to, Griffey will help. Griffey was a slightly above average hitter last year. accounting for the fact that he would face fewer lefties, and also for the DH positional adjustment, and Griffey can certainly be a 1 WAR player for the Mariners next year, better than what we would have without him. Griffey isn't a superstar, but he could be a good role player for a surprising team next year.