This was a trade that needed to be made

A GRIP ON SPORTS • There is only one way to battle despair. Hope. There is only one way to battle indifference. Hope. There is only one way to battle irrelevance. Make a trade. And then hope. Read on.

•••

• The Mariners made a stunning trade yesterday. A trade they had to make. They brought hope to their locker room. After five consecutive losses. And the very real possibility the season could slip away. Say what you will about Wednesday’s trade that brought power hitter Mark Trumbo (career line: .248 batting average, .464 slugging and .762 ops, all of which he is exceeding this year) from Arizona in exchange for couple expandable major leaguers and one of their top prospects (Gaby Guerrero), it was a trade that had to be made. The Mariner locker room was deathly quiet yesterday after the 3-1 defeat to the Yankees. A season that began with so much hope – there’s that word again – was slipping into oblivion. The usual Mariner front-office response – “oh well, we tried, too bad it didn’t work out” – wasn’t going to cut it this season. So, to his credit Jack Zduriencik tried to do something to change the dynamic. Could it bite the M’s in the butt down the road? Sure. But “down the road” has too often been the excuse for not winning now. Or even for not trying to win now. This is a team that can still win. Now. Can still make the postseason. Can be a factor. The baseball experts will argue that Trumbo’s skill set – a poor-to-middling outfielder and first baseman whose right-handed power may end up being swallowed by Safeco’s hard-to-penetrate left-field dimensions – isn’t the right fit for Seattle. And number-crunching that would support that is hard to argue with. So we won’t, even if Trumbo’s home run numbers, playing in Arizona’s spacious Chase Field, are only eclipsed by one Mariner, Nelson Cruz. The more important factor is the effect on the other 23 guys in the locker room (Trumbo will be accompanied to Seattle by young left-handed reliever Vidal Nuno). How many times has Willie Bloomquist sat in a Mariners locker room over the years, watching a promising season slip away and noting that nothing was being done to save it? On June 3, 2015, Mariner management did something to try and save a season. And they did it despite a multi-million dollar price tag. How refreshing. If it doesn’t bring hope to the locker room, what will? And if Trumbo can come in, solidify the fifth or six spot in the lineup by adding power and producing some runs, so much the better. This much is true: No matter how well Trumbo hits, he’s an upgrade. Is he good enough to carry the M’s to a pennant all by himself? Probably not. But if his presence can spark a rebirth in the locker room and in the lineup, he’s served his purpose And the summer in Seattle may just be a bit brighter.

••••••••••

• WSU: Bill Moos’ track record in coaching hires usually tends toward hiring folks with head coaching experience. But his pick for the Cougars’ new baseball coach, Marty Lees (pictured), doesn’t really have that checked off his resume. Unless you count his time at Oregon’s Harrisburg High in the late 1990s . That being said, the former Oregon State and Oklahoma State assistant must have really impressed Moos as the athletic director moved quickly in replacing Donny Marbut. Jacob Thorpe has all the details in this story . … This is a cute blog post on Pac-12 numbers. … Jon Wilner has made some changes in his basketball predictions for next season. No, the Cougars are still 12th.

• Idaho: The Vandals officially hired Mike Breske as their defensive coordinator. Sean Kramer has more in this blog post .

• Shock: Two young defensive linemen were assigned to Spokane this week.

• Seahawks: The offseason has been dominated by Russell Wilson contract-extension news. There is more of that today . But it’s also possible now to move forward to on-field questions and answers , thanks to the OTA sessions. One big answer seems to be Jimmy Graham . The question? Who will the Hawks go to in the red zone ?

• Mariners: Before the trade, the M’s lost another game , this one 3-1 to the Yankees. And once again it was a story of missed opportunities , as Taijuan Walker threw well enough to win – if Seattle could have scored any runs. The M’s struck out 13 times, nine of them looking. That’s horrible. And needs to change. … Lloyd McClendon defended Fernando Rodney again before the game yesterday.

• Sounders: Somehow yesterday I missed all the Sounders news. I must have been blinded by the glow of Sepp Blattner resigning. Anyhow, we will try to catch up. … Seattle will be a bit shorthanded at Kansas City this weekend , though the newest addition to the roster should help down the road . … Veterans mentoring young players is one reason why the Sounders may just be the best team in the MLS. … The Champions League draw was a tough one for Seattle.

•••

• How long does the glow of making a change last? At least until the first oh-fer, right? And maybe a bit longer. … And, yes, I know the NBA Finals begin tonight and that the NHL Finals began last night. Chicago won the latter and we’re hoping Golden State can win the former. That is all. Until later …