Second half is show-and-tell time when it comes to Mariners' future

ANAHEIM, calif. – Ichiro Suzuki and Felix Hernandez.

If you’re the general manager of a contending team in need of help over the final 21/2 months of the season, those two names are off the table. Want someone else – anyone else – on the Seattle Mariners roster?

Call now. Lines are open.

On pace to lose 98 games this season, the Mariners will begin the traditional second half in the looking-at-the-future role that no team really wants to be in.

Yes, they’ll get long looks at rookies Justin Smoak, Michael Saunders and catcher Adam Moore. And, yes, Michael Pineda will come up from Tacoma, lugging that 98 mph fastball, and see what big-league hitters make of it.

Other than that, however, the Mariners think they know what they have on their roster and in their minor league system. Some players they like far more than others.

General manager Jack Zduriencik, however, has always been true to one tenet.

“If someone calls, you listen,” he likes to say.

There will be calls, from teams trying to cherry pick what they need, some hoping to get help for a low-ball offer. But Zduriencik is not running a garage sale.

What he will be doing is trying to move players, stock the Seattle system with more talent, get young when it makes sense and snare players he and his scouts like.

Some deals won’t happen. Almost certainly, some will.

With a logjam at first base behind Smoak, Casey Kotchman is a late-inning defensive specialist who, in the week before the All-Star break, hit four of his seven home runs.

Most teams with their eyes on the postseason have a closer but never enough help behind him. Someone looking for a setup man with a power arm might come asking for David Aardsma.

At least one team, Philadelphia, looked hard at third baseman Jose Lopez before the break. In the Phillies’ ballpark, Lopez would be a power threat. There’s some interest.

If a club looking for power off the bench came asking for Russell Branyan, would the Mariners consider moving the man they just acquired from Cleveland?

Yes. They’d listen.

The Mariners have moved their biggest chip, Cliff Lee, and any deal they make between now and the July 31 trading deadline will bring back a much smaller return. Some could be made simply to clear salary off the books for 2010 and clear the slate for 2011.

Fans are going to have to be as realistic as Zduriencik, however.

The Mariners aren’t likely to move, say, Milton Bradley. He’s hitting .211 and is, well, Milton Bradley. His behavior hasn’t been a problem in Seattle this season, but his reputation, that batting average and $12 million in salary due next year will not draw offers.

Similarly, Erik Bedard isn’t going to take the mound for a couple of starts and suddenly have suitors. Not after missing a calendar year. And the Mariners, in truth, aren’t certain they’re going to get him on a big-league mound any time soon.

As Seattle begins looking toward 2011 there are, believe it or not, fewer holes than might be expected.

Chone Figgins, Franklin Gutierrez and Ichiro are pieces the Mariners will build around. Felix Hernandez is an ace, Jason Vargas a solid left-handed starter.

Then, there are the kids: rookies Smoak, Saunders and Moore among position players, and Doug Fister in the rotation. Smoak and Saunders each got to the majors a little too soon, pushed by organizational needs.

The Mariners have seen improvement in Saunders’ power, and already see things in Smoak’s approach at the plate they think they can improve. Moore will be up from Tacoma soon, and he needs to catch.

Seattle would love to count on all three next year. The next 21/2 months will determine how realistic that is.

The same could be said of Fister or reliever Shawn Kelley, a power arm who has missed three months to injury in his first year and a half with Seattle.

Ryan Rowland-Smith began the season as a No. 3 starter, then went 1-9 with a 6.04 ERA while in the rotation. Can he climb back to respectability and, as important, convince Seattle he’s a reliable option?

Is Branyan an everyday designated hitter? Is Bradley a better option?

Out in the Mariners bullpen, can Brandon League close? Can Sean White find his sinker and be an effective middle reliever again? Can Kelley get and stay healthy and be a late-inning factor?

And just what does Seattle have in Brian Sweeney, David Pauley and Garrett Olson?

The number of questions this team faces in July is made more daunting because they faced most of the same questions in spring training and couldn’t or didn’t answer them.

Finding out back then might have saved the 2010 season.

Finding out now could save them in 2011.

This team is willing to move salary but, at least as important, has seen what it has and will trade players for prospects the Mariners are going to need in the future. Those three minor leaguers Seattle got from Texas along with Smoak?

Pitchers Blake Beavan and Josh Lueke and infielder Matt Lawson may never see a big-league game without buying a ticket. But one or two might make it. And that’s the kind of deal the Mariners are open to – moving players that aren’t in their future plans for young talent that might force its way onto the roster.

How much better will the Mariners be on opening day 2011 if Smoak, Saunders, Moore and Fister prove they belong in the majors over the final 74 games of the 2010 season?

And how much better might Seattle be if Zduriencik can acquire more talent in the next few weeks?

In the end, that’s what the second half of the season is about – learning how much talent the Mariners have and how much more they need to become the team they thought they were in March.

Winning games wouldn’t hurt, either.

larry.larue@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/mariners

Mariners trade bait

David Aardsma, closer

The skinny: Aardsma has struggled at times this year as the closer. But he’s a hard thrower with closing experience who could provide immediate bullpen help for a team like the Twins, who are relying on Jon Rauch as closer.

Jose Lopez, third base

The skinny: Lopez had little or no trade value in the offseason as a second baseman. As a third baseman, it’s not much higher, given his hitting woes this season. But for a team like the Phillies, who have injury issues, he could be an option.

Russell Branyan, first base/DH

The skinny: It would seem strange to trade for Branyan, and then trade him again a few weeks later. Never underestimate Jack Zduriencik, who might trade Branyan to a team like the Angels, who could use Branyan’s bat at first base, DH or off the bench.

casey kotchman, first base

The skinny: Kotchman doesn’t have a ton of value, even with his recent hitting surge. But he’s expendable after the trade for Justin Smoak and he could fit in nicely for a team looking for a dependable defensive first baseman for late in games.

brandon league, relief pitcher

The skinny: League has been somewhat of a disappointment since he was acquired in the trade for Brandon Morrow. League has shown hints of dominance late in games, but has lacked consistency with his sinker and his command. There’s always a demand for relief help.

josh bard, catcher

The skinny: Bard is a veteran catcher and a switch hitter with a little bit of power. For a team like the Red Sox, who are down to Kevin Cash because of injuries, Bard could be a viable option.

Josh wilson, shortstop

The skinny: All the reasons Wilson is useful to the Mariners – position versatility, speed and improved hitting – might make him attractive to another team in need of a role player off the bench.