Jack Zduriencik's first trade is a good one

This Mariners offseason opened like an Abbott and Costello routine.

Who was on first. I Don't Know was in center field. Your Guess Is As Good As Mine was the left fielder. That Guy Who Should Be Traded was still on third. And Take Your Pick was the designated hitter.

The general manager and manger were new to their positions. The bullpen was in need of reshuffling and the farm system in need of restocking.

All of this thanks to the regrettable regime of Bill Bavasi.

For too long the Mariners have thrown good money after bad players. Remember Carl Everett? Brad Wilkerson? Richie Sexson?

Bavasi always played the offseason as if he were one big paycheck away from winning the West.

And each mistake set the Mariners further back, until new general manager Jack Zduriencik was hired to clean up this mess.

Late Wednesday night we got our first serious look at Zduriencik's plan.

He began the long, difficult rebuilding process by moving his most marketable commodity, closer J.J. Putz, and getting a starting center fielder for 2009, a starting first baseman for 2010 and some much-needed depth in return.

It wasn't a blockbuster trade. It isn't the kind of deal that will send people to SoDo to stand in line for '09 season tickets. It wasn't a flashy, first "Big Splash" deal, but it was exactly the kind of move Zduriencik knows he needs to make.

There are no quick fixes for these Mariners. And to continue looking for one, to chase overpriced free agents like first baseman Mark Teixeira or right-handed starter A.J. Burnett, would be suicidal for Seattle.

To coin a phrase, this trade is change we can believe in. This is a sober trade, not some intoxicated, get-rich-quick plan.

For once, the Mariners aren't being myopic. They aren't desperately holding on to the belief they can win right now.

What did they get?

Most important, the Mariners got a center fielder. Franklin Gutierrez, 25, is fleet and oozing with potential. He might not have the pop people would like from their center fielder, but he has the skills to be the best defensive center fielder the M's have had since Mike Cameron.

The Mariners also got a good-looking first baseman, Mike Carp, who is 22 and has the potential to hit 30 home runs, drive in 85 to 100 runs and hit close to .300. He'll probably start the year in Tacoma, but could be ready by the All-Star break.

Zduriencik already signed Russell Branyan, who can keep the base warm for Carp in the meantime.

The Mariners also got someone for the next decade in Maikel Cleto, a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher who, at 19, is just beginning his climb up the farm system.

This is an inexact science. Trades like this can blow up in a year. The M's gouged their bullpen in this deal.

What do they do for relief pitching without Putz and without Sean Green, who also went to the Mets and pitched in 72 games for Seattle last season?

Are they really going to force Brandon Morrow to become their closer, even though he wants to start?

Are they prepared to start the season with a rotation of Felix Hernandez, Erik Bedard (remember him?), Carlos Silva, Jarrod Washburn and Ryan Rowland-Smith? That feels like a rotation built on some wings and a prayer.

As necessary as it was, losing Putz hurts. When healthy, he is one of the best closers in baseball. He was also the sea of tranquillity in the Mariners' dysfunctional clubhouse.

But a lockdown closer like Putz loses his value on a 101-loss team like the Mariners. They got seven players for him, and they need quantity as well as quality.

Maybe the most intriguing player in this trade is Aaron Heilman, a 2001 first-round draft pick once considered one of the gems of the Mets' pitching staff.

After a string of blown saves, Heilman practically got booed out of Flushing, but he still has a talented arm. And he's only 30. Heilman wants to be a starter, and far away from the barking dogs of Shea, maybe he can relax and enjoy the game again.

The Mariners still have "Who's" in left field and at designated hitter, in the bullpen and the starting rotation. Their slogan for next season should be a question mark.

This trade was a good first move by the new Mariners general manager, but there is so much more to do.

Next up? Trading Adrian Beltre.

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