CLEVELAND — With their distant and recent history, the Mariners are sure to have had worse trips than this.

Yet it is difficult to remember a journey that went so flat against two opponents who were on their knees until they made the Northwesterners bow down.

Toronto had dropped seven of eight before sweeping Seattle, and Cleveland had been 2-7 on this homestand before taking the last two, including 6-3 yesterday.

The fallout for Seattle of the sorry sojourn may not be known for several days, but it is safe to say club officials will renew trade efforts that reportedly were strenuous even before this.

Lee Pelekoudas said the 1-5 trip does not automatically make the Mariners sellers in the market.

"The connotation of 'seller' is that a team is dumping salaries or dumping players," Seattle's assistant general manager said. "We started a process last winter to recover from 99 losses in 2004. It sounds simplistic, but our aim is to continue to improve this team."

To that end, a National League scout said this week, "I'm not sure what the Mariners are doing, but they are trying hard and we hear they have guys watching a bunch of teams."

One issue was seemingly resolved on this sad swing east. While the term "seller" might be inappropriate, Seattle now may be willing to move players it had not been willing to move before.

Without going into details, Pelekoudas noted, "There are certain pieces we have in place that we anticipate helping us in the future."

However, it seems likely Jamie Moyer, Randy Winn and virtually anyone else except Ichiro, Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson can be had.

One issue remains to be resolved, and the trip may further that. According to several sources, Seattle is asking a lot for its players and while the price is certain to remain high for Eddie Guardado or Ron Villone, there is a chance now the valuations may be more palatable for other teams.

While Pelekoudas said the trip's outcome would have no bearing on trades Seattle had been contemplating, it is believed the team was close to one deal already that did not work out, possibly to send Winn to the Yankees.

A recent report that the Yankees had a scout here watching Winn is not exactly correct. New York had two scouts at Jacobs Field all of last week, watching Grady Sizemore, among others, on the Cleveland club.

But a man from another club that has interest in Mariners pitchers noted that "the Yankees paid a lot of attention when Winn came up to hit."

The New York Post ran a story yesterday headlined, "Just Winn, Baby." It reported that the Mariners had scouts Dan Evens and Bob Harrison watching the Yankees in Anaheim. Harrison and Evans are based in Southern California and watch a lot of teams play the Angels.

Yet, Winn going to the Yankees remains an intriguing possibility. What would Seattle get in return?

One guess is pitcher Carl Pavano, who is on the disabled list but someone the Mariners had great interest in as a free agent last winter.

Pavano, a Connecticut native who liked Seattle but preferred the East Coast, has not fit in well in New York and was struggling (4-6, 4.77 earned-run average) before he went on the disabled list in late June.

Seattle scouts are known to have watched him pitch just before he went on the disabled list and his subsequent sore arm may be a reason that there has been no trade. Now the right-hander, who had a big year with the Marlins in 2004, is about to return.

Pavano is scheduled to have a rehab start for the Yankees' Tampa team in the Florida State League today and, if he has no trouble, is expected to start against the Angels in New York on Saturday, the day before the trade deadline.

Seattle led 2-1 yesterday when the Indians' Victor Martinez off led the sixth with a single. M's starter Aaron Sele, who had settled down after early troubles, got a ground ball he was looking for from Ben Broussard.

"But to the wrong place," he noted. "You don't get double plays on grounders inside the third-base bag, only doubles."

Ronnie Belliard tied the score with a sacrifice fly, and from there the game was a matter of Mateo getting a 1-2 pitch up that Casey Blake hit for a second sacrifice fly and a 3-2 lead, and reliever J.J. Putz getting a pitch down. In the seventh, Puetz threw a pitch down and in, the pitch lefties like to golf for homers. Martinez golfed it out for three runs.

Bob Finnigan: 206-464-8276 or bfinnigan@seattletimes.com