Today's moves by Mariners beckon for something more

This morning's trade and then another later on went down when I was hopping into a ride to the airport in order to fly to Texas for the start of tomorrow's series. I am now in Arlington, Tex., which actually feels cooler than Seattle did when I left it this morning. My initial reaction to the trades was that they were a decent start. Perhaps the first phase a two-pronged plan that culminates with a bigger deal involving Jarrod Washburn. By landing Ian Snell from the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Mariners now have a rotation arm that can help them get through the rest of this season once Washburn is dealt. Snell also figures to be one of the team's starting five next season and going forward if he can get through some of the issues that have dogged his past performance. In shortstop Jack Wilson, the Mariners have upgraded that position for the remainder of this season as well. Wilson plays excellent defense and hits a bit better than Ronny Cedeno. The Pirates are also paying mo...