Griffey headed to the Windy City

The trade deadline is upon us and the first big deal has been made.The Reds have traded Griffey to the White Sox, pending his approval. Griffey will decide sometime today whether he will approve the deal or not. The return on Griffey for the Reds is unknown at this point.

Griffey, as a player with 10 years of major-league service, five with the same club, has the right to block any deal. The White Sox attempted to acquire him from the Reds in 2005, but the trade reportedly was vetoed by Reds ownership for financial reasons.

The future hall-of-famer, is batting .245 this season with a .355 on-base percentage, 15 home runs and 53 RBIs in 359 at-bats. Earlier this season, he hit his 600th home run.

Update:

Griffey accepts trade. If the commissioner’s office approves the deal, the Reds would get right-handed reliever Nick Masset, who was 1-0 with a 4.63 ERA in 32 games for Chicago, and second baseman Danny Richar, who hit .262 with nine homers for Triple-A Charlotte.

Other deadline deals:

The Florida Marlins acquired left-hander Arthur Rhodes from the Seattle Mariners for minor league right-hander Gaby Hernandez.

The Houston Astros acquired righthander LaTroy Hawkins from the New York Yankees for Class A Lexington second baseman Matt Cusick.