M’s make statement with trade

SEATTLE – Days before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, Seattle Mariners’ general manager Bill Bavasi is continuing to seek a balance.

In most circumstances – and in almost every other division in the league – the inexperienced Mariners would be playing for next year. Instead, Seattle heads into Friday night’s road trip opener at Cleveland in a legitimate race for a playoff spot in the mediocre A.L. West for the first time since 2003. The Mariners entered Thursday three games out of first place, despite being three games under .500.

That pursuit of an unlikely division title is why the Mariners became the first A.L. West team to reshape their roster on Wednesday. They acquired Ben Broussard from Cleveland and designated for assignment struggling designated hitter Carl Everett.

The left-handed hitting Broussard came in exchange for minor-league outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, one of the few Mariners’ commodities the team was willing to deal. Broussard will platoon with righty Eduardo Perez – also acquired in a trade with Cleveland, on June 30 – as a seemingly vastly upgraded DH duo over the fading Everett.

Despite the apparent playoff push, Bavasi is realistic about needing to add veterans to the Mariners’ young lineup, and trying to do so with a lack of depth in their minor-league system.

“Our division is a little wide open right now and we’d like to take it, but we still see ourselves as a developing club/organization,” Bavasi said. “We’re going to be careful. There are a couple of big fish that are out there, but we’re going to be careful with what we’ll move.

“There’s probably a larger list of untouchables for us than somebody else.”

Broussard will instantly upgrade the Mariners’ hitting against right-handed pitching in a division loaded with righty starters. Broussard is hitting .362 against right-handers and was Cleveland’s leading hitter with a .321 average in 88 games.

As a bonus, Broussard is eligible for salary arbitration after this season. That means he will be under the Mariners’ contractual control for the next two seasons.

“I’m excited to be in the middle of a race. Things weren’t going as well as we hoped in Cleveland,” said Broussard, who will move from the home clubhouse to the visitors’ on Friday night. “I knew it was something that could happen.”