Seattle failed to make a serious bid to solidify their team at the trading deadline. While Oakland added OF-R Jose Guillen in an effort to close the narrow gap between the two teams, the Mariners only move was to acquire SS-R Rey Sanchez from the Mets in exchange for Kenny Kelly on July 29th.

Tampa Bay drafted Kelly out of high school with their second round pick of the 1997 draft but then sold him to the Seattle in April of 2001. The Mariners gave him a full season at AA San Antonio in the Texas League in 2001 and a full year at AAA Tacoma in the Pacific Coast League last season. Kelly returned to Tacoma this year, and at the time of the trade, he was hitting .246 with a .313 OBP and .434 SLG on 84 H, 15 2B, 5 3B, and 13 HR with a 29:79 BB:K and 20/27 SB% in 341 AB. The 24-year-old needs to improve his plate discipline and his baserunning instincts, but he definitely possesses solid speed and power potential. New York did well to acquire someone with Kelly's upside when dumping Sanchez from the roster.

Sanchez hardly qualifies as the infield bat observers felt the Mariners needed to add to help keep Oakland at bay. At the time of the trade, Sanchez was hitting .207 with a .254 OBP and .242 SLG on 41 H, 3 2B, and 1 3B with a 10:20 BB:K and 2/3 SB% in 190 AB. In fairness to Sanchez, he was hampered by injury for most of the first half and he has rebounded to his standard levels when healthy. However, the 35-year-old possesses no power of note, only a little speed, and poor plate discipline, so his upside is limited.

Carlos Guillen's nagging groin injury prompted the Mariners to make this deal. Guillen injured his groin during batting practice on the second of July, and while the Mariners waited after they acquired Sanchez to place Guillen on the DL, Guillen only played in eight games after the injury. He's expected to miss most of August and might not return until late September. Sanchez will receive the majority of the shortstop at-bats in his absence and move to the bench upon his return. This trade should allow the Mariners to tread water for a few weeks, but they'll likely drown in the wake of the Athletics before the end of the regular season.