The Seattle Mariners decided Thursday that it was time to end the Eddie Guardado experiment in the ?Great Northwest,? thus sending Guardado to the Cincinnati Reds for minor league pitcher Travis Chick. The Mariners will pay part of the remaining amount of Guardado?s deal, which was a 2006 option worth a total of $6.25 million at the beginning of the season. Guardado had been successful in his first two seasons in Seattle with sub-3 ERA both years, but this year Guardado saw his ERA balloon to 5.48, as he was removed as the team?s closer and saw his chances diminish overall. Guardado has only appeared in 28 games this season. Chick, a 21-year old right-hander, was 4-5 with a 4.61 ERA at Double-A Chattanooga. Breaking Down the Deal: For Cincinnati, it is closer number three on the year as David Weathers and Todd Coffey have blown a combined 8 saves this year for a team that is in the thick of the wild card and division races. Guardado provides a proven player for this role who has saved games before on playoff teams in Minnesota. Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky knows Guardado well from his time when they were both in Minnesota and it now allows the Reds to move Weathers and Coffey into more familiar roles, creating a deeper bullpen. On the Seattle side of things, Guardado had to leave sometime before the July 31st trade deadline because he was becoming a distraction for the Mariners. They already have a lot of potential for bullpen arms and are in no shape as an organization to have such an expensive set-up guy when they aren?t in serious condition. They were also able to pick up Chick, who was considered possible trade bait for Cincinnati this summer. My Grade: Cincinnati Reds: {A-} The Reds pick up some much needed bullpen help without having to give up a top prospect or bat in return. The move will strengthen the Reds in the late innings, and with that offense, a playoff berth looks even better after this move. Seattle Mariners: {C+} The Mariners were somewhat forced in this move because everyone knew they wanted to trade him at some point. They were able to pick up a quality arm in the process and trade him out of the American League, but a little patience could have produced a better deal.