Steve Kelley / Times staff columnist
M's didn't have to let it get to this point

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Unobtrusively, the announcement that Freddy Garcia had been traded was presented on the giant scoreboard in center field in the ninth inning of another in a long series of somnolent Mariners losses.

The news was greeted with a smattering of boos from the fans who bothered to stay until the bitter end and happened to be looking at the Safeco Field scoreboard as Jolbert Cabrera grounded to second to end the Mariners' 5-1 loss to the San Diego Padres.

There was a lot to boo again yesterday.

The Mariners' gimpy offense managed only three hits. Errors by shortstop Willie Bloomquist and third baseman Scott Spiezio led to two unearned runs.

And former Mariners bust Jeff Cirillo, whose mere presence inside Safeco Field engenders justified hostility, crushed a 413-foot, three-run home run off Jamie Moyer.

The Mariners lost for the 43rd time this season. The boos were louder than the bats.

And in the late innings of another loss, Garcia and catcher Ben Davis were traded to the Chicago White Sox for a young catcher and prospects.

It was the first official word from the Mariners that this season is done, so go ahead and boo.

Boo because the front office let it get to this point. Boo the trades that weren't made at the July deadlines of 2002 and 2003. Boo because this wealthy franchise wouldn't part with enough money last winter to make the kind of deals Anaheim made.

Boo. It's all you can do.
 
Boo all of the miscalculations made last winter. Boo because the Mariners' ownership has shown little concern for the feelings of the fans. Boo because the franchise is all about making money, not winning pennants.

Boo the fact this team didn't even bother to talk about a contract extension for Garcia, guaranteeing he would be a lame duck this year. And boo the demise of this once-contending club.

Mariners fans should be angry this morning. Not because of the trade that was made, but because this team and this season had come to the point that this trade had to be made.

A season that has been on life support since the Mariners blew a 6-0 lead against the New York Yankees on May 9, officially died with this trade.

"These are not easy deals to make because you're moving a real, real good player," Mariners general manager Bill Bavasi said of Garcia. "It's real hard to put a positive spin when you're moving a player like this.

"The fans who may have been booing the deal, I get it. This guy's a good-looking pitcher and he's done a great job and to see him go, with no knowledge of what you're getting is tough. If I weren't working for the club, I might be one of those (fans booing) because I love watching this guy pitch."

But under these unfortunate circumstances, in a nowhere season, with this lame-duck pitcher, the Mariners had to look to the future.

They need to rebuild a minor-league system that is desperately low on everyday prospects and they took the first step toward reloading yesterday, trading Garcia and Davis to the White Sox for catcher Miguel Olivo and two prospects — outfielder Jeremy Reed and shortstop Mike Morse.

Boo the fact that they had to make this trade. But don't boo the trade.

Getting 25-year-old Olivo means that Pat Borders, 41, no longer is their catcher of the future. Olivo, whose seven home runs is one more than designated hitter Edgar Martinez, will join the team early this week.

Reed, 23, who was the Topps Minor League Player of the Year last year, will report to Class AAA Tacoma. Morse, a power-hitting shortstop who probably is two years away from the big leagues and eventually could move to third, will play for AA San Antonio.

The deal would have been sweeter if the Mariners could have coaxed 26-year-old Aaron Rowand from the White Sox, but he was pulled off the trading block and replaced by Reed, who should be an everyday outfielder by this time next season.

"Understanding the whole mosaic of it and knowing where you have to go as a ballclub and being in a pitching-rich organization and not as rich with position players and offensive potential, something's got to give," Bavasi said. "You have to be cognizant of where your holes are, so you can plug those. Otherwise the future sneaks up on you."

That's what happened this season. The future rushed into Safeco like a freak thunderstorm. The team got old in a hurry.

"We are where we are," Bavasi said. "We pitch well, but our range is mediocre and our offense is not good. So we have things that we've got to improve. This club needs to turn over a little bit."

But is ownership willing to change course and spend money? Will it be bold?

At the end of this season, there will be money to spend. The Mariners will be free of the contracts of Martinez, John Olerud, Dan Wilson and Rich Aurilia. They will have paid off Kevin Jarvis' $4.75 million. They no longer will have Garcia's $8 million salary, or Kazu Sasaki's $8 million.

They will have the money to get the players who can make them contenders again next year. But they have to show the same kind of vision, guts and passion the Angels showed last winter. They have to change their cautious, corporate ways.

Go ahead and boo the premature death of 2004, but withhold judgment on the trade. Next year begins tonight.

Steve Kelley: 206-464-2176 or skelley@seattletimes.com