Cliffhanger ends: Lee to Rangers

SEATTLE – The realism of the standings along with the trade jewel he held in star pitcher Cliff Lee were too much for Seattle Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik to ignore.

On Friday, with several teams offering players who Zduriencik believed could help the Mariners, he chose to deal with the Texas Rangers when they finally put a name on the table he had asked for weeks ago: power-hitting first baseman Justin Smoak.

The negotiations were done at that point, and Zduriencik completed a six-player trade with the Rangers by acquiring Smoak and three minor leaguers in exchange for Lee and relief pitcher Mark Lowe.

The Mariners also acquired right-handed pitchers Blake Beavan and Josh Lueke and second baseman Matt Lawson, who’ve played for the Rangers’ Class AA Frisco team. All three will report to the Mariners’ Class AA West Tennessee team. Lawson played 56 games for the 2007 Spokane Indians, Lueke two.

Smoak is expected to be in uniform and start at first base in tonight’s game against the Yankees.

The trade ended a day of twists, turns and, yes, Tweets that began with multiple reports that the Mariners and Yankees were close to finalizing a trade. That one reportedly would have brought the Mariners a package of prospects that featured minor league catcher Jesus Montero, a highly regarded hitting prospect whose defense was considered suspect.

Instead, the trigger to the trade became Smoak, a 23-year-old switch-hitter who is struggling as a big league rookie – batting .209 – but has shown power with eight home runs and 34 RBIs.

The Mariners believe he’ll recover from what’s been a difficult adjustment to major league pitching in his second full pro season. Zduriencik, a former scouting director with the Brewers, said he has known Smoak since he was a high school player.

“We think he’s a quality player who’s got a great approach at the plate,” Zduriencik said. “He’s big, he’s lanky and he’s got a great swing from both sides of the plate. If this guy is what we think he is, he’s going to be a cornerstone as we move forward.”

Manager Don Wakamatsu said Smoak will be the Mariners’ everyday first baseman, which will slice into the playing time for opening-day first baseman Casey Kotchman, who is a defensive star but has struggled with a .212 average entering Friday’s game.

Lee went 8-3 with a 2.34 earned-run average in 13 starts, numbers that earned him a place in the All-Star Game on Tuesday in Anaheim, Calif. But he will wear a Rangers uniform.

When the Mariners acquired Lee last December by trading three minor leaguers to the Philadelphia Phillies, they envisioned a 1-2 pitching tandem with Felix Hernandez that would make them competitive in the American League West Division.

Instead, the Mariners struggled to score runs and fell into last place, where they were 16 games behind the first-place Rangers when play began Friday.

“I don’t think anybody in spring training expected it to turn out the way it has,” Lee said. “When you aren’t playing well, things like this happen.”

The Mariners not only were hopelessly out of contention for a playoff berth, they also didn’t believe they could compete to re-sign Lee when he’s eligible to become a free agent after this season. Zduriencik also responded to Lee’s comments Thursday when he said he invited the Mariners to discuss a contract extension during spring training but the club decided against it. Zduriencik said the Mariners discussed parameters and determined that they wouldn’t be able to re-sign Lee.

The loss of Lowe was a surprise because he is out for most, if not all, of the season because of a back injury. He was the Mariners’ most important setup reliever last year but pitched in pain much of this season before having surgery to repair a herniated disc on June 15.