"Michael Pineda, the future, is now the sacrificial flamethrower.

He takes his overpowering stuff — "that stank," the late Dave Niehaus once aptly described it in spring training — to the Yankees, of all teams, in a four-player trade that the Mariners agreed to primarily because they're desperate for hitting.

Well, at least the hitter's first name is spelled J-E-S-U-S.

So, why is Jesus Montero, an intriguing power-hitting prospect with only 61 big-league at-bats, worthy of dealing a 22-year-old pitcher who played in the All-Star Game as a rookie and possesses limitless potential?

The answer lies in the Mariners' ongoing inability to manufacture offense. The problem has become so huge that the franchise had to do something drastic.

Consider: It's possible to declare, without hyperbole, that the Mariners have had their best three-year run of pitching in franchise history while simultaneously offering their worst three-year run of hitting. For the first time in their 35 years of existence, the Mariners have posted a team ERA under 4.00 for three consecutive seasons. On the other hand, for the first time in their 35 years, the Mariners have averaged fewer than four runs a game for three consecutive seasons.

For all their great pitching and solid defense, the Mariners have zero playoff appearances and records of 85-77, 61-101 and 67-95 to show for it. They are historically imbalanced, the best and the worst they've ever been, and assuming the franchise doesn't outbid its competitors for slugger Prince Fielder, it risked entering the 2012 season without making any major efforts to improve its feeble offense."