Seattle Mariners Acquire Brendan Ryan from St. Louis Cardinals

Brendan Ryan found out what guys like Adam Kennedy and Scott Rolen already know. If Tony LaRussa doesn’t like you, you are not long for the program.

Ryan fell out of favor with LaRussa during the 2010 season, and now he will be fielding ground balls in Seattle. The St. Louis Cardinals traded Ryan to the Mariners for minor league pitcher Maikel Cleto.

These are the trades that the Mariners have to make because they are in the “in-between stage” of developing a team. The in-between stage is when a team can’t add marque players through trade or free agency because it won’t help them get that much better, but is not in complete rebuilding mode because the team is not that bad.

In a sense, the Mariners are trying to sustain things until their young talent like Dustin Ackley can help them at the major league level.

Ryan won’t help the Mariners improve that much in 2011. He is a good glove, no-hit type player, which the Mariners’ roster is currently filled with. Ryan became expendable when the Cardinals traded for Ryan Theriot.

In Cleto, the Cardinals get a 21-year-old right-handed pitcher who has compiled a 5.17 ERA, a 1.52 WHIP, 6.5 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in four minor league seasons. His highest level of competition has been high Single-A.

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