"Prodigal son" Griffey Jr. returns to Seattle

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Veteran slugger Ken Griffey Jr. has returned to the Seattle Mariners, where he began his career 20 years ago, the club announced on Wednesday.

The 39-year-old, who has recorded 611 career home runs has agreed to a one-year contract worth $2 million with an additional $2.5 million in incentives, according to Seattle''s website.

"I can''t begin to tell you how ecstatic all of us are," Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik told reporters. "This means a lot for this franchise.

"This is the one player, at the end of the day, that we thought we needed to bring home."

Griffey had considered an offer from the Atlanta Braves before deciding to come back to the team which drafted him first overall in 1987.

In 11 seasons with the Mariners, Griffey emerged as one of baseball''s giants, leading the American League in home runs four times and winning the league MVP in 1997.

Dubbed "The Kid" after exploding onto the Major League Baseball scene, Griffey also captured 10 Gold Glove Awards for his defense in center field between 1990 and 1999.

Griffey was traded to the Cincinnati Reds following the 1999 season before being slowed down by a string of injuries.

He batted .249 with 18 home runs while mostly playing for the Reds last season, before being traded to the Chicago White Sox for the remaining 41 games of the year.

(Reporting by Jahmal Corner; Editing by Alastair Himmer)