Mariners trade J.J. Putz and 3 others; get 7 in return

LAS VEGAS — For the first time in days, a relaxed J.J. Putz had felt confident he wasn't going to be traded.

Instead of fretting by the phone, the Mariners closer decided to invite some friends over and work on a car outside his Arizona home. Little did he know that hundreds of miles away, at the baseball winter meetings, the Mariners were putting the finishing touches on a blockbuster, 12-player deal involving three teams that would send Putz to the New York Mets.

"That's usually when these things happen," Putz said by telephone Wednesday night, after the deal was completed.

Putz won't be sent to the Big Apple alone, as outfielder Jeremy Reed and relief pitcher Sean Green were sent to the Mets as well, while minor-league second baseman Luis Valbuena was shipped to the Cleveland Indians. In return, the Mariners received Indians outfielder Franklin Gutierrez, a defensive whiz with some power potential, who will take over in center field.

The Mariners also get outfielder Endy Chavez, pitcher Aaron Heilman, Class AA first base prospect Mike Carp and three other minor leaguers — right-handed pitcher Maikel Cleto, outfielder Ezequiel Carrera and left-handed pitcher Jason Vargas from the Mets. Cleveland also gets pitcher Joe Smith from New York.

Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik said the deal, which Mets GM Omar Minaya termed "an old-fashioned baseball trade," helps Seattle fix a key concern about defense.

"We acquired this guy because we think that this guy can play center field," Zduriencik said of Gutierrez. "We think he's one of the better outfielders in the major leagues. He's still young and there's still upside to him. We look forward to watching this kid get a chance to play every day center field, in a big ballpark, where he's really going to have a chance to showcase his skills."

Zduriencik added that the addition of Chavez, a natural center fielder, could also provide an added boost in left, which tends to be a difficult place to play at spacious Safeco Field. The GM wouldn't speculate on what this means for Brandon Morrow, saying he'll discuss his future — and whether it includes starting or replacing Putz as closer — as the winter progresses.

Putz didn't suspect anything about the massive trade until his wife walked to the door of their home and called out to the driveway where he was: "Looks like we're going to New York!"

A puzzled Putz, figuring it was more rumors, checked his cellphone and saw he'd just missed a call from Zduriencik.

"I thought 'Uh-oh. Whoo-boy, this could be it,' " Putz said.

Before long, Putz was on the phone with Minaya, who welcomed him to his new team. Putz will be going to New York not as a closer, but as the set-up man to newly-acquired Francisco Rodriguez, inked earlier Wednesday for three years, $37 million.

It's rare for an established closer like Putz — arguably better than K-Rod when healthy — to be placed into an eighth-inning role in his prime.

"It's a new challenge and I'm excited about it," Putz said. "I'm going to a new team that's going to be very competitive. Frankie's a great closer and with Sean Green going as well, we should have a great bullpen."

Zduriencik had been discussing a three-way Putz deal involving Detroit and Tampa Bay earlier in the day.

But that fell apart, supposedly when the Tigers balked at including outfielder Matt Joyce. Instead, they offered only corner infielder Jeff Larish. When that deal collapsed, the Tigers dealt Joyce to Tampa for pitcher Edwin Jackson.

In the meantime, Zduriencik was also having a two-way discussion with Mets GM Minaya about a Putz deal, but could not find a match. "I told him 'Omar, I need you to get me a center fielder,' " Zduriencik said.

Minaya told Zduriencik to hold on and that he'd phone back. He got on the line to Indians GM Mark Shapiro and discussed adding Gutierrez as part of a three-way trade.

Zduriencik and Shapiro soon came to an arrangement, but the trade kept on growing, mainly because Zduriencik wanted another outfielder back from the Mets once Reed was included.

That's when Chavez was added and the deal was done.

"I do feel a little bad that we couldn't keep J.J. here," Zduriencik said. "I would have loved to have had him here.

"You never know what's going to happen down the road," Zduriencik added, "but at this moment in time, as I said to him this evening, the fact that it was such a large trade and there were so many players that came back to us ... at this moment in time, it was something we had to do."

And Putz understands that his former team's baseball path is veering in a different direction than his own.

"I'm really going to miss Seattle," he said. "The people I met there, the great friends and teammates. I have nothing but good things to say about my time with the Mariners."