Seattle Working To Keep Griffey

The official denials continue, but the Seattle Mariners have begun discussions with outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. on a contract extension beyond the 1996 season.

The Mariners, who won’t even acknowledge talks have taken place, first approached Griffey’s agent, Brian Goldberg, more than two weeks ago with a starting figure of five years and $35 million, according to one team official.

“I don’t know anything about it,” general manager Woody Woodward said.

Team president Chuck Armstrong denied talks have started or that an offer had ever been made.

Griffey shrugged off questions about the offer, choosing to deal Sunday with more immediate problems - an 0-for-13 slump brought on by trying to adjust his swing to compensate for a painfully tender left wrist.

More than two hours before the game with the White Sox, Griffey underwent treatment on the wrist he broke in May, took one-on-one batting practice under the stands with coach Lee Elia, then took regular batting practice before returning to the clubhouse for electronic stimulation of the wrist.

“It hurts. It’s tender. It gets swollen,” Griffey said. “My stride is all screwed up at the plate and I have to flatten my swing out. That should be easy to fix.”

Not so the wrist. Throws hurt. Checked swings hurt worse. And a skid that’s seen his batting average dip to .242 bothers him, so he has used humor to deal with it.

“If I bat .220 this year I’ve got to hit .380 next year so you guys can keep writing that I’m a lifetime .300 hitter,” Griffey said.

Acutely aware that a public vote on the future of the franchise comes Tuesday, Griffey talked about that vote.

“So where am I playing next year, Orlando or Virginia?” he asked. “What we hear is that if the stadium issue does not pass, the team goes up for sale on Wednesday, and there are buyers in two other cites interested.”

Manager Lou Piniella, aware his outfielder is hurting, made out two lineups Sunday. One with Griffey, one without. After Junior took batting practice, he said he wanted in. In he went.

“He’s close,” Piniella said. “And he wants to play. If we weren’t in the race, he’d probably play three, four times a week and rest that wrist, let it get strong. He doesn’t want that and there isn’t that luxury.”

Pop-ups

Felix Fermin started at second base instead of Joey Cora on Sunday, but Piniella said not to read anything into that. “There’s a left-handed starter, and we’ve pretty much platooned Joey and Felix all season,” Piniella said. Cora has been a factor offensively, batting .303, and defensively, where his 20 errors lead the team by a wide margin.

Jay Buhner began the day with a one-to-one hits-to-RBI ratio 111 hits, 111 RBI and since 1900, no player has finished the season with a higher ratio.

Vince Coleman is now tied for sixth on baseball’s all-time stolen base list (738).