M’S Put Best Possible Spin On Their Dizzying Dealing

The expected blow of a trade was cushioned for Tino Martinez on his 28th birthday Thursday. The New York Yankees gave him millions of presents and wife Marie gave him one - a new daughter, Victoria.

“This is one of the greatest days of my life,” Martinez said. “My head is spinning.”

So, perhaps, were those of Seattle fans who saw a long-anticipated deal with the Yankees send Tino, reliever Jeff Nelson and reliever Jim Mecir east in exchange for pitcher Sterling Hitchcock and third baseman Russ Davis.

Coming shortly after the Mike Blowers-to-Los Angeles deal - which fetched back two Class AA infielders - some viewed Martinez’ trade as further evidence the Mariners are breaking up the team that won the American League West two months ago.

“Breaking that team up?” Martinez said. “Any time you have a lineup with Ken Griffey Jr., Jay Buhner and Edgar Martinez in it, you’ve kept a pretty good group of hitters together. Sterling and Russ are quality players. I understand why this happened. I’m excited about playing in New York.”

The luster of Martinez’ big day - he signed a five-year, $20 million contract and was there to help deliver his third child - didn’t come without blemish. The New York press, aware that Martinez is being asked to fill the void left by Don Mattingly, cast a wary eye toward his five-year deal.One Big Apple tabloid said that five-year contract made Martinez virtually untraceable - and made him the first 21st-century Yankee, because the deal runs through the year 2000 with a team option for 2001.

It was perhaps with an eye toward that New York atmosphere that the two newest Mariners, Hitchcock and Davis, talked of the joy of coming to Seattle.

“In New York you have to deal with so many things that don’t involve what you do on the field,” left-hander Hitchcock said. “I’m from the South, I wasn’t used to the hustle-bustle of the big city. Now I can focus on baseball - not traffic.”

Davis, a 26-year-old Alabama product, laughed at that.

“Every kid dreams of growing up to play for the New York Yankees, and I did that,” he said. “Now it’s time for me to move on. I think my minor-league numbers have earned me an opportunity to play in the majors. Now I have to deliver.”

It was, on all fronts, an odd day. Reliever Nelson was notified of the trade while in Alaska with catcher Dan Wilson - on a speaking tour promoting the Seattle Mariners.

And in Seattle and Florida, where Mariners manager Lou Piniella lives, the announcement of the trade was bittersweet.

“When a player like Tino comes up through your system, when he progresses and becomes the player you hoped he’d be, it makes a move like this hard,” general manager Woody Woodward said. “But with this move today, we probably cut $4.5 million from our 1996 payroll - and maybe we cut a little more.”

“We got ourselves a young third baseman with the chance to become a good power hitter, and a promising young left-hander who will fit right into our starting rotation,” said Piniella.

Belcher free agent

Veteran pitcher Tim Belcher became a free agent unavailable to the Mariners when the club declined to offer him salary arbitration Thursday. They had tried to negotiate a one-year contract for him earlier this week and failed. On the unlikely chance Belcher remained a free agent through the off-season, Seattle is prevented by baseball’s rules from signing him before May 1.