Last week, I produced my preview of the 2010 free agent crop of designated hitters.

Well, you can now eliminate one name from that list. According to reports, Ken Griffey Jr. is headed back for one more year with the Seattle Mariners. Griffey will be paid a guaranteed $2.0-M with the chance to make up to $3.15-M in incentives, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.

Here is what I wrote about Griffey in the DH piece:

Griffey Jr. is my all-time favorite baseball player. Despite the fact that I grew up on the other side of the country in Connecticut, my room was pretty much a shrine dedicated to him, and I was a huge Seattle Mariners fan as a kid. Even when he went to the Cincinnati Reds, he was my favorite player. That is why it is sad that the end of the road appears to be near for Junior. It was definitely awesome to see the future Hall of Famer back in a Mariners uniform, but he did little to help the team’s cause when it came to winning. He hit just .214/.324/.411 with a 95 OPS+. Seeing as how he offers little value on defense at this stage, that kind of production does not cut it, and Seattle would be foolish to give him so many at-bats in the DH spot again. Here is hoping that “The Kid” goes out right now on his own terms without having someone else make that decision for him.

Nearly everything mentioned still applies. The Junior farewell tour was fine while it lasted, but I do not think that they needed to make it a two-year ordeal. Forming a DH platoon with Mike Sweeney, he posted a weak line of .214/.324/.411 with a 95 OPS+. Griffey did slug 19 homers while drawing an impressive 57 walks, which many feel shows how much pitchers still respect his ability. Still, according to FanGraphs, he was worth –0.5 runs below an average hitter—acceptable production for a slick-fielding shortstop, not a DH.

All of Griffey’s value at this point comes from his bat, of course, and he should be limited to DH duties. Indeed, as Matthew Carruth notes, he has been the fourth-worst outfield defender in the majors based on UZR since 2007, with much of the damage coming during ’07 and 2008 since he only logged 83.0 innings in the field this past season. Thus, it is not exactly ideal to waste a roster spot on a player who offers nothing on defense and is likely to decline even more with his bat as he turns 40 years old.

Again, I love Griffey*. Most casual Mariners fans still love Griffey, too. As well, the money here is reasonable and this move will not exactly cripple the club going forward, especially if he decides to accept a reduced role. Plus, he will indeed help sell tickets and does offer all of the other intangibles writers love to harp on, as well as veteran leadership. Still, though, this is a bit of a head scratcher.

*My parents let me pick a new pair of shoes for the beginning of each school year, and I used that opportunity to get the new edition of the Griffey Nikes when they came out. It was the best part about going back to school.  And I spent far too much time playing Griffey Baseball for Nintendo 64 as well, always choosing the Mariners in a dynasty mode.

The Mariners deserved a pass for letting sentiment guide decisions in ’09 when they knew that contention was probably beyond reach. Considering that the club could actually be a legitimate contender in the American League West in 2010, though, I really question this move. I will not complain seeing him in a M’s uniform, which puts a smile on my face every time. But, if I were running the team with winning in mind, I would have politely declined and said goodbye to the greatest player the franchise has ever known.