White Sox decline option on Ken Griffey Jr. and Toby Hall

White Sox decline 2009 options on contracts of Ken Griffey Jr. and Toby Hall

CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox have declined the club options for 2009 on the contracts of outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. and catcher Toby Hall. Griffey and Hall will be eligible for free agency.

Griffey, 38, combined to hit .249 (122-for-490) with 18 home runs and 71 RBI in 143 games last season between Cincinnati and the White Sox. He batted .260 (34-for-131) with three homers and 18 RBI in 41 games with the Sox after being acquired from the Reds on July 31 in return for pitcher Nick Masset and infielder Danny Richar.

Griffey ranks fifth in Major League history with 611 home runs, 10th with 1,152 extra-base hits, 15th with 5,092 total bases, 18th with 1,772 RBI and 30th with 1,613 runs scored. He and Jim Thome were the first teammates in Major League history to be members of the 600 and 500-home run clubs.

Hall, 33, batted .260 (33-for-127) with two home runs and seven RBI in 41 games with the White Sox in 2008 and .235 (57-for-243) in 79 games over two seasons with the club. He originally signed with the Sox as a free agent on December 17, 2006.