Braves get better player in Anderson

Garrett Anderson signed with the Atlanta Braves, where he's expected to enter a left field platoon with Matt Diaz.

The left-handed slugger and three-time former All-Star is expected to play left field for the Braves and perhaps work in a platoon with Matt Diaz — the role the Braves planned for Ken Griffey Jr., before Griffey decided Wednesday to sign with Seattle instead of Atlanta.

Anderson hit .293 with 15 home runs, 84 RBIs and a .325 on-base percentage last season, including 14 home runs in 433 at-bats against right-handed pitchers.

For comparison, Griffey hit .249 with 18 homers and 71 RBIs last season, including .272 with 14 homers in 327 at-bats against right-handers.

Soon after Griffey announced his decision, the Braves moved on to Anderson, despite stating publicly that they would take a look at their organization’s young outfielders and not immediately pursue another free agent or a trade for a veteran.

The Griffey option might have been more of a public relations plus for Atlanta than a productive senior outfielder. Anderson appears to have more hitting ability at this stage of his career.

Check out their numbers from 2007 to 2008:

Griffey:
2007: .277 AVG / 30 HR / 93 RBI / 528 AB
2008: .249 AVG / 18 HR / 71 RBI / 490 AB

Anderson:
2007: .297 AVG / 16 HR / 80 RBI / 417 AB
2008: .293 AVG / 15 HR / 84 RBI / 557 AB

As Griffey declines precipitously, Anderson is a steady veteran at this point. Maybe Griffey can recapture some past magic, but anyone who saw him play late last year with the White Sox will tell you he looked closer to washed up than consistent contributor.

Fantasy Impact: While you never rule out a former star completely, Griffey might be a backup fantasy player for the first time in his career. He just doesn't have the numbers to expect much upside. Anderson will potentially lose at bats this year, but if he hits 400 times, expect double-digit home runs and a .290 average, which puts him in your fourth outfield slot or on your bench as a backup who helps more than he hurts.

Griffey trade a failure for White Sox

The White Sox declined a $16.5 million option on Ken Griffey Jr., making the eventual hall of famer a free agent.

The 38-year old hit a combined .249 with 18 homers and 71 RBIs in 143 games last season for the Reds and the White Sox. Griffey batted .260 with three homers and 18 RBIs in 41 games with the White Sox, who acquired him July 31 in a trade that sent right-hander Nick Masset and infielder Danny Richar to Cincinnati.

Considering the White Sox are unlikely to bring back Orlando Cabrera at shortstop, and that the Sox are likely to move Alexei Ramirez from second to short, dealing Richar away leaves a strange mix at second for the Sox.

Juan Uribe can be brought back, and Chris Getz will get a look, but lost in the Sox declining of Griffey was the pickup made by the Southsiders. The White Sox agreed to a one-year contract with former Rockies second baseman Jayson Nix, who ended up playing mostly at Triple-A once Ian Stewart won the big league job. Richar was considered a possible starter for the Sox at second in spring training '08, while Uribe was the fallback option and Ramirez the wildcard. Now the Sox only have the fallback option at second, plus the rookie, Getz. Nix, another fallback, might end up with the job.

For three homers and 18 RBI in 41 games, bringing in Griffey certainly didn't do much for the Sox.

Griffey has knee surgery

Ken Griffey, Jr. had his knee scoped. It looks like he won't be returning to the White Sox.

"There's no question," Dr. Tim Kremchek said, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. "It affected that push-off leg. How much I don't know. But he was dealing with it all year. There's not much you can do early in the season."

Griffey will be a free agent this offseason, if as expected, the White Sox decline his $16 million option for the 2009 season. He has said he would like to continue playing next season.

Griffey looked washed up this past season, and although the knee surgery might help get his production up, he's certainly on the down slide. Where he ends up is anybody's guess, and if he can't put up better numbers it won't be as a DH.

Junior Circuit, not Griffey Jr.

99 wins, 72 losses. That's the American League's interleague record after outplaying the National League again Monday night to the tune of a 4-1 mark. Only Arizona's narrow 2-1 win over Boston got the N.L. on the board. The A.L now owns a winning percentage of .579 or a record of 94-68 if the two sides played one another over 162 games.

Looking at those numbers, interleague records would be a much better way of awarding home-field advantage in the World Series than rewarding the All-Star game league winner. The American League is a much tougher group of teams, therefore the winner of that league deserves to have one more World Series game at home.

While the N.L. still has a shot to earn that extra home game, they are less-likely to have the better team of stars on the field at the start of the Midsummer Classic. Ken Griffey Junior is getting voted into the Senior Circuit's starting lineup along with his well-below-average .249 batting average. His inclusion is just another strike against this bumbling system. Here are several others.