"OK, now what?

The Mariners' first-time general manager, Jack Zduriencik, pulled off one of the biggest trades in club history Wednesday night, sending away closer J.J. Putz in a deal that delivered a center fielder, Franklin Gutierrez, and six other players, as many as three of whom could start the 2009 season in Seattle.

Thursday morning, the Mariners added two more players to their 40-man roster, getting shortstop Reegie Corona from the Yankees with their pick in the Rule 5 draft, and then trading with Kansas City for left-handed pitcher Jose Lugo after the Royals drafted Lugo from the Minnesota Twins' roster in the Rule 5 draft.

Zduriencik flew back to Seattle at midday Thursday having seriously shaken up the roster. Even so, the Mariners are coming off a 101-loss season and there is a long way to go if the club is going to be competitive in 2009.

The offense not only isn't any better than it was in 2008, it is worse with left fielder Raul Ibanez likely leaving in free agency. The Mariners are going to miss his 100-plus RBIs.

Or are they?

Zduriencik reiterated Thursday after the Rule 5 draft that the Mariners aren't done making moves, though he said he wasn't sure what would come next.

It seems the Mariners must import more offense. They signed Russell Branyan before heading to Las Vegas; he will be a first baseman or DH. He has raw power, but also big strikeout totals, and is not by himself a cure for the Mariners' malaise.

Seattle added a starting center fielder with reasonable offensive credentials in Gutierrez, but the club desperately needs a left fielder. Endy Chavez, acquired from the Mets in the Putz deal, can play left field with grace and style, but he can't hit with power.

For the second day in a row, Zduriencik suggested the answer to replacing two-time team RBI leader Ibanez is to have him return to the Mariners.

When Ibanez turned down the Mariners' offer of binding salary arbitration over the weekend, Zduriencik said the club still wanted him, but the GM was not willing to commit to making an offer of more than one year.

By Thursday morning, that had changed.

"Ibanez is still a possibility," said Zduriencek, who spoke with Ibanez's agents Wednesday. "I'm not sure of his feelings, though."

Would the Mariners go for more than a one-year contract?

"We're prepared to discuss options," Zduriencik said.

Less than two months into the job, Zduriencik has added 10 players to the organization. Branyan was the first, and then seven came aboard Wednesday -- Chavez, Gutierrez, right-hander Aaron Heilman, left-hander Jason Vargas, first baseman Mike Carp, outfielder Ezequiel Carrera and right-hander Maikel Cleto. The Rule 5 draft boosted the number of additions to double digits.

"What I've said from the beginning was that to get talent here, we were going to have to be creative," Zduriencik said. "We've accumulated some talent here, adding nine