"While the Braves await a decision from free agent Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones wondered for a moment Monday if the outfielder had already signed and reported.

Jones arrived at the Braves clubhouse to find a Seattle Mariners equipment bag at the empty locker next to his. Griffey played 11 seasons for Seattle, where he was the 1997 American League MVP.

Turned out the bag belonged to utility player Greg Norton, who was with Seattle before being traded to Atlanta.

Jones saw the bag and instinctively looked toward both ends of the clubhouse for Griffey, who has talked a few times with Jones in the past week about playing for the Braves.

Jones insisted his heart didn't skip a beat when he saw the bag.

"No," he said with a smirk. "Not until I see his [butt] in here."

Griffey, 39, met Monday with Braves general manager Frank Wren in the Orlando area and was expected to decide by Tuesday whether to sign with Atlanta or Seattle, where he last played in 1999. He spent nearly nine seasons with Cincinnati before being traded last summer to the Chicago White Sox.

"It sounds pretty good," Jones said of the Braves' chances. "But until he's signed, sealed and delivered. …"

Until then, Braves officials will wait to pencil in Griffey for left field, the primary role he'd be expected to play in Atlanta. He might play in a platoon with right-handed hitter Matt Diaz.

Griffey could also still play some in center field, where he won 10 Gold Gloves in the 1990s. But his once-fluid stride and blazing speed were dampened by injuries over the past decade.

While a few Braves suggested it might be better to let Brandon Jones and other youngsters compete for left-field at-bats, most said signing Griffey was a good idea.

The Braves might be able to get him for $2 million or less in a one-year contract, which, even after the expected Tom Glavine signing soon, would leave a bit of room in the payroll for mid-season needs.

Griffey has 611 home runs and 1,772 RBIs, and has been referred to many times as the best "clean" player of the so-called Steroid Era. He hit a career-low .249 with 18 homers and 71 RBI in 2008, but .272 with 14 homers and a .372 on-base percentage in 327 at-bats against right-handers.

No rush for Glavine

The Braves had their second workout for pitchers and catchers Monday, with no sign of Glavine. Not a problem, manager Bobby Cox said.

He said Dr. James Andrews, who did the surgeries on his elbow and shoulder in August, wanted Glavine to continue rehab in Atlanta until late February, rather than go to camp and running the risk of pushing things too quickly.

The Braves are expected to sign Glavine to a one-year contract with an approximate $1 million salary and incentives worth perhaps another $4 million."