Seattle Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik (it’s se-REN-sik, which rolls off the tongue much easier than it looks) traded shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt(notes) on Friday to the Kansas City Royals, but don’t take that to mean that the Mariners are necessarily sellers this trading season.
With Ronny Cedeno(notes) playing well and Betancourt not delivering offensively or defensively – the 27-year-old Cuban has a brutal .278 on-base percentage and a declining range factor – Zduriencik stocked up on a couple of young pitchers by moving Betancourt to a team in desperate need of a shortstop. The Royals have been hurting at the position since Mike Aviles(notes) went down for the season with an elbow injury.
The Mariners acquired 6-foot-6 right-hander Dan Cortes, rated as the Royals’ top pitching prospect coming into this season, plus Class-A left-handed reliever Derrick Saito.
Cortes recently got himself in a spot of trouble – he was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and public intoxication when police in Fayetteville, Ark., said they found him urinating outside a bar – but still comes highly regarded.
“He walks a lot of guys, but he’s got good stuff, 93-94 velocity, with a swing-and-miss breaking ball,” one scout said. “He could end up starting or relieving. Saito is a little guy (5-9, 155 pounds) but also has a good arm and gives them some inventory.”
It was not the kind of deal that signals whether the Mariners expect to contend for the AL West title this season. One AL West executive said he expects Zduriencik, in his first year as Mariners GM, to go for it.
“Why not?” he said. “The crowds are coming back in Seattle, the division is down, Torii Hunter(notes) and Vladi Guerrero are both on the DL for the Angels, and the Rangers are pretty good but they’re not going to run away from anybody. You’re over .500 at the break, you’ve got a chance to have some fun in this division.”
The Mariners have good starting pitching in Felix Hernandez(notes), Jarrod Washburn(notes) and Erik Bedard(notes). The bullpen has shown surprising depth with an unexpected strong closer in David Aardsma(notes). Russell Branyan has given some pop to a lineup that has lost third baseman Adrian Beltre(notes) and outfielder Endy Chavez(notes) (who tore up his knee in a collision with Betancourt), and probably needs another bat to make a serious run. But this is no time to be running up a white flag.
