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<< Previous   of   Next >> Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Mariner shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt throws to first over Detroit's Ramon Santiago in a game earlier this season. Betancourt was traded to Kansas City on Friday. Elaine Thompson / Associated Press  (click to enlarge) Seattle's Yuniesky Betancourt rounds second base on a single by teammate Ichiro Suzuki in a 2006 game. Betancourt was traded to Kansas City on Friday.   ADVERTISEMENT   Mariners trade at a glance Who’s coming Right-handed pitcher Danny Cortes, the top pitching prospect in the Kansas City Royals’ minor league system. The 22-year-old Cortes, 6-foot-6 and 216 pounds, throws a power fastball and hard-breaking curve. He was the Royals’ minor league pitcher of the year in 2008 after going 10-4 with a 2.78 ERA at Class AA Northwest Arkansas. He is 6-2, 3.12 in his past 11 starts at Northwest Arkansas and the Royals were prepared to promoted him to Class AAA Omaha. Cortes will report to the Mariners’ Class AA West Tennessee team. Derrick Saito, a 5-foot-9, 155-pound left-handed reliever who has limited left-handed hitters to a .200 average this season at Class A Burlington, Iowa, of the Midwest League. He’s 2-6 with one save and a 4.26 ERA overall. As a college sophomore, he averaged more than 14 strikeouts per nine innings for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He’ll report to the Mariners’ Class A team in Clinton, Iowa. Who’s leaving Shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, who has played the past 3 ½ seasons with the Mariners. They signed him in 2005 after he defected from Cuba and was highly regarded for both his defensive and offensive potential. Instead, he frustrated the Mariners with spurts of lackadaisical play in the field and impatience at the plate. Manager Don Wakamatsu benched him for a week last month. He was batting .250 with two home runs and 22 RBI this season, and had a .279 average in 588 career games with the Mariners. Kirby Arnold   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Saturday, July 11, 2009 Mariners trade Betancourt Will Seattle now pursue a pair of Pirates infielders? By Kirby Arnold Herald Writer SEATTLE -- After 3½ seasons of unfulfilled promise, and a day of speculation involving Yuniesky Betancourt, the Seattle Mariners traded away their shortstop Friday. The Mariners sent Betancourt, along with a portion of the approximately $10 million owed on a contract that runs through 2011, to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for two minor league pitching prospects -- right-hander Danny Cortes and left-hander Derrick Saito. While general manager Jack Zduriencik characterized the trade as an opportunity to add two nice arms to the Mariners' system, it helps the team in a variety of ways. They moved a player, Betancourt, who fell out of favor with management both offensively and defensively. It also helped the Mariners shed a substantial salary commitment to Betancourt, allowing them financial flexibility for future moves. The M's won't say how much money they are sending to the Royals along with Betancourt, although the Kansas City Star reported the figure is $3 million. If so, the Mariners would be saving themselves about $7 million. Between now and the end of his contract, Betancourt is owed about $1 million the rest of this year, $3 million next year and $4 million in 2011, plus a $2 million buyout of a $6 million club option in 2012. While the trade doesn't create immediate financial room for a rent-a-player scenario in their stretch drive this season, it does allow the Mariners an opportunity to afford someone whose salary is spread over a longer term. Zduriencik said he is happy with the defense of current shortstop Ronny Cedeno, who got the everyday job when Betancourt went on the disabled list June 25 with a hamstring injury. Cedeno, however, entered Friday's game batting .149 on a team that is struggling to score runs. "It just got to a point where we were really happy with what Ronny was doing out there," Zduriencik said. "We're very happy with his defense. We're hoping that (his offense) comes around a little bit." Zduriencik said he is continuing to pursue other opportunities to improve the team, although he refused to be specific. There has been speculation for nearly two months that the Mariners are interested in shortstop Jack Wilson and second baseman Freddy Sanchez of the Pirates. Wilson is making $7.25 million this year, with an $8.4 million club option (or a $600,000 buyout) for 2010. Sanchez is making $6.25 million this season with an $8 million option (or a $600,000 buyout). Wilson is batting .270 and Sanchez .316, but Sanchez hasn't played since July 2 because of a lower back injury. Another said to be available is Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman (.292 average with 14 home runs and 52 RBI), who makes $3.325 million and is signed through 2013. "You always keep your ears open," Zduriencik said. "You always try to improve your ballclub. Sometimes you go with what you have, but I don't think there's a point in time that I'm not going to try not to pursue talent." Betancourt, 27, was batting .250 with two home runs and 22 runs batted in this season, but frustrated the Mariners' new management with defensive lapses, his inability to work deep into ball-strike counts and his haphazard work ethic. Manager Don Wakamatsu benched Betancourt for a week last month. Betancourt was scheduled to play the second game of an injury rehab assignment Thursday night with the Class AAA Tacoma Rainiers when he was scratched from the lineup minutes before the first pitch. "I knew something was up when I got pulled from the lineup a few minutes before the game," Betancourt said Friday afternoon in front of his locker as clubhouse workers boxed his belongings. "But I thank the Mariners for letting me show my talent for four years at the major league level." Betancourt, signed by the Mariners in 2005 after he defected from Cuba, offered a vague answer when asked what went wrong. "In this case it didn't work out here," he said. "But you just keep working." Zduriencik refused to say anything negative about Betancourt, choosing instead to praise the minor-league pitchers the Mariners obtained. "When you have a chance to get someone's minor league player of the year, I think you have to weigh everything in balance," Zduriencik said. "At this moment in time, we think that was the right thing to do." Cortes, 22, throws a power fastball and curveball, and has gone 6-2 with a 3.12 ERA in his past 11 games after going 0-4, 5.96 in his first five starts with Class AA Northwest Arkansas of the Texas League. He was the Royals' minor league pitcher of the year in 2008 and was rated by Baseball America magazine as the Kansas City organization's top pitching prospect going into this season. Cortes was arrested on charges of public intoxication and disorderly conduct July 1 in Springdale, Ark. He spent five hours in jail there after being seen urinating on a fence outside a bar. "He stubbed his toe a couple times. I had a discussion with him today and told him that's not acceptable," Zduriencik said. Saito, 21, is 2-6 with a 4.26 ERA and one save in 21 relief appearances with Class A Burlington of the Midwest League. He has held left-handed batters to a .200 average this season. He's a 5-9, 155-pounder from Wailuku, Hawaii, who the Royals drafted in the 16th round last year. He set Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's school record with 14.13 strikeouts per nine innings as a sophomore. Read Kirby Arnold's blog on the Mariners at www.heraldnet.com\marinersblog READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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