So how did the Mariners ever let [Choo] go? Bill Bavasi, their former general manager, said ownership had no appetite for rebuilding. On July 26 of the 2006 season, with the team three games out of first place, the Mariners sent Choo to Cleveland for the veteran first baseman Ben Broussard.

"We were on strict orders when I got there that we were not going to tolerate any five-year plans," said Bavasi, now a special assistant with the Cincinnati Reds. "They felt that five-year plans usually turn into seven- or eight-year plans, and it’s true. That made sense — just keep getting better — but that also brought with it different pressures."