SEATTLE – Having decided weeks ago that they can’t win with the team in its current state, the Seattle Mariners plotted their future and began shopping for trades.
Sunday, they made a big one.
Today, they will pursue others.
The Mariners traded right-handed pitcher Freddy Garcia to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for the team’s most pressing need, position players who can hit.
The Mariners, who also sent catcher Ben Davis to the White Sox, are getting 25-year-old catcher Miguel Olivo, highly touted minor league outfielder Jeremy Reed and shortstop prospect Michael Morse.
Having gained at least two major league prospects, the Mariners will continue to look for players to revive a team that ranks last in the American League in the four major offensive categories – batting average, runs, home runs and RBI.
“It stands to reason that a club is looking to turn over a little bit and we made a deal, so yeah, you can say it’s the first day,” Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi said. “We feel we need to solve some position problems on this club and we need to turn some things over, and we decided to get that started now.”
The Mariners and White Sox discussed the Garcia trade for much of last week, but it didn’t fall together until Sunday when the White Sox made Reed part of the package. He’s a 23-year-old who was voted the 2003 minor league player of the year.
Despite two mediocre seasons in 2002 and 2003 when he went 28-24 with an earned-run average of nearly 4.50, Garcia had been the Mariners’ iron horse. He averaged more than 221 innings over the past three seasons and, despite a 4-7 record that was more the fault of poor run support, already had worked 107 this year with a 3.20 ERA that was sixth-best in the American League.
With the Mariners needing to make trades to improve the offense and Garcia due to become a highly sought free agent in the offseason, the Mariners decided to get all they could now.
Garcia, who is making $6.875 million this season, is expected to be one of the major targets of teams shopping the free agent market for a star starter next winter.
Bavasi said the Mariners and Garcia’s agent, Peter Greenberg, did not pursue a contract extension during the season because they didn’t want it to become a distraction.
“We danced around the possibility of an extension but we both agreed that the best course would be to let Freddy maintain his focus,” Bavasi said. “He’s had periods in the past where he has not pitched as well as he can.”
Garcia, who pitched his final game as a Mariner on Friday, came to Seattle in the 1998 trade that sent Randy Johnson to the Houston Astros. That deal also brought shortstop Carlos Guillen and pitcher John Halama to the Mariners, and Sunday’s trade shipped away the last remaining piece.
Garcia learned of the trade during the sixth inning of Sunday’s game at Safeco Field against the San Diego Padres. He said he was stunned by it even though it will bring him together with a close friend, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen.
“It’s hard for me to leave this team. I’ve been here for six years and I love playing here,” Garcia said. “I’ve got a lot of good memories here. Good city, nice people, a good team. I’m pretty sad right now.”
Garcia also said he would enjoy returning to the Mariners next year if he becomes a free agent and they would want to re-sign him.
“Of course. I like it here and if I have a chance to come back here, I will,” he said.
The Mariners aren’t sure who will pitch in Garcia’s place Thursday against the Texas Rangers, although Bavasi left more than a strong hint that it would be someone called up from the minor leagues. The best of the group has been left-hander Travis Blackley, who is 7-2 with a 2.63 ERA at Class AAA Tacoma.
Bavasi wouldn’t rule out the possibility of looking for a top free-agent pitcher in the offseason, but he made it clear that the organization will put its faith in the youngsters who have developed in the minor leagues.
Besides Blackley, right-hander Clint Nageotte already has been called up to the Mariners this year, as has left-hander Matt Thornton. Right-hander Gil Meche, inconsistent early this season with the Mariners, has been in Tacoma for about a month and remains one of the team’s top prospects.
“The reputation of the club is well established that it’s pitching rich and we’re going to find out,” Bavasi said. “We’re going to ride that pitching, and the money that we have to spend will be spent primarily on position players.”
When the trade was announced with a scoreboard message during the ninth inning Sunday, many in the crowd booed.
Bavasi said he understood, having traded away one of baseball’s top young pitchers while not getting a significant player in return who will make an immediate impact.
“If I weren’t working for the club, I might be one of those (booing) because I love watching this guy pitch,” he said. “But watching the whole mosaic of it and knowing where you have to go as a ballclub, knowing that you’re a pitching-rich organization and not as rich with position players and offensive potential, something’s got to give.”
The Mariners believe Olivo, who was backing up Sandy Alomar Jr. with the White Sox, will become a solid major league catcher. He is hitting .270 with seven homers and 26 RBI.
“He’s a pretty physical guy (6-foot, 215 pounds) behind the plate, runs good, he’s got some pop, shuts down a running game (with his arm),” Bavasi said.
Reed, who will report to Tacoma, could soon develop into the prize of the trade. He’s a left-handed-hitting outfielder who combined to hit .373 with 11 homers, 95 RBI and 45 steals at Class A Winston Salem and Class AA Birmingham last year. This year at Class AAA Charlotte, he’s batting .273 with 14 doubles, eight homers and 36 RBI.
Bavasi predicted Reed would be a major leaguer next year.
Morse, who will play at Class AA San Antonio, is a 6-4, 220-pound shortstop who Bavasi likens to a Tim Salmon-type hitter with potential for significant power.
The Mariners weren’t saying who will go to the minors when Olivo joins the team this week, but it’s almost certain they won’t operate with three catchers. Pat Borders, called up May 5 when the Mariners sent the poor-hitting Davis to Tacoma, is the likely choice.
After that, of course, could be more trades.
The trade deadline is July 31 and the Mariners are looking to improve an offense that is last in the American League in team average (.259), runs (294), home runs (54), RBI (276) and slugging percentage (.378).
“We are who we are,” Bavasi said. “We pitch well. Our range (on defense) is mediocre and our offense is not good. We’ve got things that we have to improve.”
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