McGriff Spurns Cubs, Homers Again

Who can blame Fred McGriff for wanting to stay with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays? He’s having plenty of fun at Turner Field.

McGriff homered for the third time in two days against the Atlanta Braves, a ninth-inning drive that gave the Devil Rays a 6-5 victory Monday night.

Earlier in the day, McGriff rejected a trade that would have sent him from the last-place Devil Rays to the first-place Chicago Cubs.

“Right now, I’m tired,” McGriff said. “It’s been a crazy week. I’d like to rest and relax a bit.”

The Devil Rays won their first series on the road this season after going 0-12-2 through their first 14. By winning three of five games since the All-Star break, they also clinched their first .500 trip of the season.

Brian Jordan homered and drove in three runs for the Braves, who lost their third in a row and remained a game behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East.

McGriff hit two home runs Sunday in a 9-1 victory over the Braves, with whom he played from 1993-97.

Before Monday’s game, the Tampa native cited family reasons for turning down the trade to the Cubs, who wanted his bat for their pursuit of the National League Central title.

“It was just family and friends, being at home,” he said. “It’s tough, it’s tempting, but sometimes you have to think about people other than just yourself.”

But the first baseman hasn’t ruled out being traded before the July 31 deadline.

“That’s the nature of the business,” he said. “You can’t ever say never. Nobody knows what’s going to happen.”

Devil Ray General Manager Chuck LaMar agreed, saying that McGriff could change his mind over the next two weeks.

“It’s a major decision, and he just did not feel completely ready to make a decision to move as of today,” LaMar said on a conference call. “As a week or two goes on, he may become more comfortable with the idea of leaving his family and leaving Tampa Bay and going to play somewhere else.”

But if McGriff does go elsewhere, it probably won’t be to Chicago. The division-leading Cubs need another bat to bolster their offense, and team President and General Manager Andy MacPhail said he’s got to explore other options.

“We have to proceed from the standpoint this opportunity is not available to us,” MacPhail said. “We’re going to have to proceed along on that basis and we’ll try to find other avenues to help our ballclub.

“I think we’d be making a mistake if we just sort of hoped and wished and didn’t do anything.”

The Cubs and Devil Rays, the worst team in baseball, reached a deal July 8 that would have sent McGriff to Chicago for two prospects. The Cubs also were expected to pick up a $6.75-million option for next season.

But McGriff had to approve the deal because of a no-trade clause in his contract. Though trades usually have to be finalized within 72 hours, the commissioner’s office granted an extension and gave McGriff until noon Monday to make up his mind.

“For him to come to that decision, it’s got to be a personal decision because everybody likes to go last to first,” the Cubs’ Sammy Sosa said. “We all respect his decision, we haven’t given up and we have to keep moving.”

In the evening, McGriff homered against Steve Karsay (1-1) to break a 5-5 tie. With one out, McGriff hit the first pitch deep into the right-field stands for his 19th home run of the season.

“Regardless of what he says, I think he’s having more fun than anyone with this thing,” Devil Ray Manager Hal McRae said.

Ben Grieve hit a three-run homer for the Devil Rays, who squandered a 5-2 lead before McGriff bailed them out.