Coming home

Original Devil Ray will attend camp to try to latch on somewhere and reach 500 HRs.

	[Times photo: Jim Damaske]
	Fred McGriff, who has 491 home runs, hopes to prove to baseball that he's in shape after a subpar, injury-plagued season.

ST. PETERSBURG - The Devil Rays are bringing back one of their original local stars in an effort to help him eventually find a new home.

Fred McGriff, nine home runs short of the 500 that could get him into the Hall of Fame, is set to agree to a minor-league deal that is expected to be announced today.

When McGriff, a Tampa native, reluctantly accepted a trade to the Cubs in July 2001 and took a few shots at team officials on the way out, there seemed to be little chance he would wear a Rays uniform again. Given the Rays' offseason moves and lack of an apparent opening for McGriff, it still seems an unlikely pairing.

But there are reasons it could work out for both sides.

McGriff, 40, wants to continue playing and swinging toward 500 homers but hasn't received much interest from other teams. This will give him the chance to participate in spring training and show all teams that he is recovered from injuries that forced him to the disabled list last season for the first time in his career, perhaps with an understanding that the Rays will let him go if another team is interested.

Though the Rays, with Aubrey Huff at DH, Tino Martinez (one of McGriff's closest friends) at first base and Robert Fick as their top left-handed pinch-hitter, don't seem to need McGriff, they could get something of an insurance policy. If McGriff shows he can still play, he would give them a viable option in case of injury or an unexpected trade opportunity at virtually no risk or cost. If it doesn't work out, they can release him at the end of the spring. Plus, there could be some benefit to their young players to have someone of McGriff's stature around for six weeks.

Having grown up selling sodas at Tampa Stadium and playing at Jefferson High, McGriff was cast off by Atlanta and came home as an original Devil Ray and a cornerstone of the inaugural 1998 team.

He had trouble making the adjustment and had a down season, hitting .284 with a then-career-low 19 homers and 81 RBIs. But he rebounded the next two seasons, hitting .293 with a combined 59 homers and 210 RBIs, and was on a similar pace in 2001 when he was traded to the Cubs in a cost-slashing deal that saved the Rays about $9-million.

McGriff, who had a no-trade clause, mulled the idea for nearly two weeks until he accepted the fact that he wasn't going to be able to finish his career at home. He gave his approval to the deal, after the Cubs agreed to guarantee a $7.25-million option for the next season, and expressed his frustration with a few comments on the way out, saying he expected the Rays to be further advanced as a franchise and more competitive.

Overall, McGriff has been one of the game's most consistent sluggers, averaging nearly 30 home runs over his first 16 full seasons. He ranks 21st on the all-time home run list with 491 and is 34th on the all-time RBIs list at 1,543.

He finished the 2001 season with a .306 average, 31 homers and 102 RBIs. In 2002, he hit .273 with 30 home runs and 103 RBIs for the Cubs.

He signed with the Dodgers as a free agent for 2003, but a midseason groin injury forced him to miss more than two months. He hit only 13 home runs in 86 games with a career-low .249 average and .428 slugging percentage.

Determined to put a better finish on his career, he has been working out hard during the winter and is said to be in good shape.

He certainly should be motivated: 500 home runs has long been considered a magic number for election to the Hall of Fame. Though there is some discussion that the unofficial "standards" should be raised, no eligible player with more than 442 home runs (Dave Kingman) has not made it in.

Also:

Pitchers Chad Gaudin and Jon Switzer agreed to terms on one-year contracts.

General manager Chuck LaMar will conduct an online chat at 3 p.m. Wednesday on the team Web site, www.devilrays.com

Spring training will officially open at 9:30 a.m. Sunday with the first workout for 40 pitchers and catchers at the Naimoli Complex, 7901 30th Ave. N. Admission and parking is free. When McGriff signs, the Rays will have 62 players on the spring roster, one more than their low from 2002.

A look at Fred McGriff's numbers the past two years, 2002 with the Cubs, 2003 with the Dodgers.

GAMES PLAYED: 232.

AT-BATS: 820.

RUNS SCORED: 99.

HITS: 217.

HOME RUNS: 43.

RBIS: 143.

STRIKEOUTS: 165.