The Cincinnati Reds were not too interested in spending money on player salaries this season. As a result, Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., who has been retired since 2010, will be their fourth-highest-paid player.
As ESPN points out, Griffey is still on the Reds’ payroll thanks to the deferred payments agreement he made with the franchise back in 2000. He will earn $3.59 million this season, placing him behind only Joey Votto, Wil Myers, and Mike Moustakas in terms of salary. And Moustakas isn’t even on the Reds’ roster, being released earlier this year.
The Reds acquired Griffey in a trade with the Seattle Mariners in 2000 and signed him to a nine-year $116.5 million extension. As part of the extension, Griffey agreed to defer $57.5 million of the total money at 4% interest. The deferred payments started coming to his account in 2010 and will continue until 2025.
Griffey’s stint with the Reds wasn’t an overwhelming success as the franchise hoped. While he earned three All-Star appearances in Cincinnati, he was often criticized for lack of effort and failed to move the team closer to contention. He ended up being traded to the Chicago White Sox midway through the 2008 campaign before returning to the Mariners, where he ended his career.
The Reds currently have a payroll of $70.6 million in 2023, with Votto taking up the majority of that amount with a $25 million salary. Cincinnati has the 26th lowest payroll in the league, trailing the Tampa Bay Rays, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Oakland Athletics.
