Ken Griffey used his star status to dictate where and when he would be traded.

From the Sidelines

Griffey's gaffe goes unnoticed

On the surface, Griffey comes away looking like the good guy. He accepted almost $25 million less from Cincinnati than Seattle offered him, and he will return to Cincinnati to play on the same field where his father and the other Big Red Machine members taught him how to play. But most of all, Griffey did it for his family. He did it to be closer to his children and to allow little Trey Griffey go to the ballpark everyday with his grandpa, Ken Sr. On the surface, it does look like, as ESPN reporter Peter Gammons called it, "the best pure story in professional sports."

But lurking behind this great story is something darker and potentially more damaging to baseball. No matter how much spin is put on it, Griffey hijacked the Mariners' trade negotiations and demonstrated how a superstar can whine his way into getting whatever he wants.

The problems began the moment Griffey demanded a trade. Regardless of how many home runs they hit or how many Cy Young Awards they win, athletes simply should not be allowed to demand a trade. Players sign contracts for fixed lengths of time, whether their team wins or loses, whether the coach or personnel changes or not. They should know what they are getting into when they sign and should have the integrity to play out the full length of their contract. Moreover, players should not be allowed to threaten to aggravate clubhouse discontent because they are unhappy and want to be moved. In the real world, that is called blackmail.

Griffey knew that Seattle would always be a continent away from his home in Orlando. He should have either never signed a long-term deal with Seattle in the first place, or moved his family closer to the Emerald City. He also knew that the Mariners are particularly sensitive to players causing clubhouse problems in the final year of their contracts—they went through the same experience in 1998 with Randy Johnson. Griffey's blackmail is simply unacceptable.

Griffey's conduct during the trade negotiations was equally, if not more, dishonorable. Initially, Griffey demanded a trade to a team closer to his home in Orlando. Pat Gillick, the Mariners' general manager, was able to negotiate deals to two teams. The Mets would have dealt Octavio Dotel, Roger Cedeño, and Armando Benitez in exchange for Griffey. Griffey, however, rejected a trade to the Big Apple. The Pirates would have traded Chad Hermansen and Jason Schmidt, among others. But Griffey did not want to spend his summers in Pittsburgh. These deals were far better than what the Mariners got from the Reds. But ultimately, Griffey said he would only accept a trade to Cincinnati. Faced with losing Griffey and getting only draft picks in exchange, Seattle was forced to make a bad deal with the Reds.

Knowing that Griffey only wanted to play for their team, Cincinnati had the advantage of recognizing that it did not have to trade its future to get him. Jim Bowden, the Reds' general manager, was patient and finally got a deal that would preserve the core of his team while adding to it the best player in the game. Seattle was left with a mediocre center fielder, a mediocre pitcher, and two low-rated prospects—all because Griffey gave Gillick no room to maneuver in the trade negotiations. He knew what he wanted, he used his star power to get it, and left the Mariners to suffer the repercussions.

Imagine what would have happened if Griffey had been traded to the Braves or the Yankees instead of the Reds. People would have been in an uproar, complaining that the rich are getting richer and that big market teams are the only ones able to afford superstars. The fact that Griffey went to Cincinnati only obscures the precedent that he has set for athletes who do not have the same willingness to take a significant pay cut and will force their small-market teams to trade them to the greener pastures of larger markets. Griffey has demonstrated how a superstar can force his team to make a move that is not in its best interests. Griffey is not the first player to do this, but he is definitely the most famous. He is also the only one to have done so while remaining unscathed by the press. His stature and the lack of criticism will only encourage others to take a page from Griffey's playbook. Not only will their teams suffer, but all of baseball will as well.

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