On This Date: Ken Griffey Jr. Returns Home to Reds in Blockbuster Trade With Mariners

On this date 26 years ago, the Reds acquired Ken Griffey Jr. in a blockbuster trade with the Mariners. February 10, 2000 will always be the day that "The Kid" returned to Cincinnati.

The Reds sent pitchers Brett Tomko, Jake Meyer, and outfielder Mike Cameron to Seattle for Griffey Jr.

Griffey signed a nine-year, $116.5 million contract, locking him in long-term to a Cincinnati team that had just won 96 games in 1999. He returned to the city that he grew up in and joined the team his father Ken Griffey Sr. won two World Series championships with.

Griffey posted a 5.5 WAR in his first season with the Reds, up from the 4.9 he had in 1999. He played in 145 games, slashing .271/.387/.556 with 40 home runs and 118 RBI. Unfortunately, his time in Cincinnati did not turn out the way anyone thought it would.

While he played in 111 games in 2001, the outfielder only played in 70 games in 2002, 53 games in 2003, and 83 games in 2004. He hit 63 home runs during that span with a .266 batting average and an .873 OPS. Luckily, he did have a rebound in 2005, but he did not reach the 145-game mark until his final full season with the team in 2007. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox in 2008 after 102 games played.

While we did not get to see the Griffey that we saw in Seattle, he did have some legendary moments in Cincinnati.

On August 20, 2001, in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Jr. came up to bat in a 4-4 game in the bottom of the 11th inning. On a 3-2 pitch, Griffey hit a ball off the left center field wall that took a strange hop and trickled into left field. He rounded third as the ball made its way back into the infield, but Griffey legged out the walk-off inside-the-park home run.

A #walkoff inside-the-parker for Junior!

The Kid did this 19 years ago today. pic.twitter.com/pU2p6o31BC
— MLB Vault (@MLBVault) August 20, 2020

On Father's Day in 2004, he hit his 500th career home run, coincidentally against the St. Louis Cardinals. He hit a no-doubt home run to right-field that made him the 20th member of the 500 home run club.

#FathersDay, 2004: Ken Griffey Jr. makes Senior's day even more special by hitting his 500th career home run. pic.twitter.com/7PeLGFSmAM
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 16, 2024

On June 9, 2008, he launched his 600th career home run into the seats at Marlins Stadium against the Florida Marlins, nearly four years to the day of his 500th home run. He became just the sixth player to reach the 600-home run mark.

June 9, 2008: Ken Griffey Jr. launches career homer No. 600! #RedsVault pic.twitter.com/D1mWHLRbXT
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) June 9, 2023

There is no question that Griffey was robbed of a better career with Cincinnati. Had he not missed as much time as he did due to various injuries, he could very well have been close to setting the all-time home run record that Barry Bonds subsequently set in the 2007 season. Ultimately, he finished his career with 630 home runs, 2,781 hits, 10 Gold Glove Awards and 13 appearances in All-Star Game. He won seven Silver Sluggers, and won an MVP award. He was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 2014 and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016.