Hummel: Baseball scouts like the Manny Ramirez trade but are skeptical of Griffey Jr.

Hummel Figurine Big Housecleaning/Big Scoutspeak.

Which player will help his new team the most? Three longtime big-league scouts said it’s an easy answer - Ramirez. And they thought Griffey Jr. would help the least.

“Personally, I think Griffey’s done,” one scout said emphatically.

...But besides what the former Seattle and Cincinnati star can do or can’t do offensively, there is question, frankly, about how hard Griffey wants to compete.

“The wild card in this,” said one scout, “is the combination of diminished ability and the fact that he doesn’t play. Both are issues.

“Now, if he goes out and busts his butt ... it’s different. It may happen for a week or two weeks or three weeks, but at one point in time he’s going to get comfortable and go back into being a one-gait player.

“The White Sox may sit him down and say, ‘We’re not going to prejudge anything or what you’ve done in the past. But here’s why we got you and what we expect from you and we’re not going to treat you any differently than anybody else."’