So why did Ken Griffey Jr. pick Seattle over Atlanta last month as his free agent destination? Braves fans were under the impression that it was because of over-eager reporting by the Atlanta Journal Constitution, but in reality, the key factor was pesky MLB Network analyst Harold Reynolds.

One other piece of persuasion Reynolds offered Griffey regarded the potential performance of the two teams in question.

Said Reynolds: “My point to Ken was this: Atlanta is in a division — and I honestly believe this — where they’re not going to win for a few years. You’ll be long gone when the Braves get over the Mets and Phillies. They’re going to spend money to make sure they stay on top.

“Seattle is in a division where it can get fun real quick. They have some pitching with [Erik] Bedard coming back, King Felix [Hernandez] and [Brandon] Morrow. You have three guys that can turn it around real quick, in a division with really one team on top, the Angels.

Clearly, Reynolds hasn’t studied his CHONE and PECOTA projections. Based on those, Atlanta will be in the wild card hunt; the Mariners will not.

Harold Reynolds glad to help Griffey with Seattle decision (Seattle Times)