Earlier in the week, we saw the Tampa Bay Rays make a similar decision, trading away Evan Longoria. Much like the Mariners, the Rays have been hovering around the .500 mark lacking the resources to make a final push.
However; the two teams have 2 completely different areas of lacking resources. For the Rays, it is straight cash. They have one of the better farm systems in the game, but cannot afford the large contracts of potential trade targets.
The Mariners have the money to spend, but have one of, if not the worst, farm system in Major League Baseball.