4 trades from the 1990s the Seattle Mariners no doubt wish they could do over

Seattle gives the Red Sox a pair of curse-breakers in one deal - 1997

At last, we reach the grandaddy of all the critical missteps of the Mariners' front office in the 1990s: the trade that sent Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe to the Boston Red Sox at the 1997 deadline.

Looking to shore up the back end of the bullpen, the Mariners acquired former All-Star closer Heathcliff Slocumb from Boston and, in the process, changed Red Sox history forever. Slocumb was solid for Seattle down the stretch that season, but his career quickly went downhill after that and he never regained the dominance he showed in the mid-90s with the Phillies.

As for Varitek and Lowe, what's left to say that hasn't been said already? The two played integral roles in the Red Sox putting an end to the "Curse of the Bambino" in 2004. But at the time Varitek was yet to make his big-league debut and Lowe had all of 50 or so innings and a 6.98 ERA under his belt.

It took just two years for Lowe to get his feet under him with the Red Sox as a reliever. In 1999, he led the league with 42 saves and 64 games finished. In 2002, his first year as a starter, he was an All-Star and finished third in AL Cy Young voting, going 21-8 with a 2.58 ERA in 219 2/3 innings of work. That historic 2004 season was the sinkerballer's last in Boston, but he left Red Sox Nation with more than a few memories along the way.

Varitek is a Red Sox legend. He spent his entire 15-year career in Boston, winning a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger and two World Series rings while calling the shots from behind home plate. He became just the third Red Sox player since the end of World War II to be named captain, holding that title with the team from 2005-2011.

It's one of the most lopsided trades not just in Seattle Mariners history, but in baseball history. And, perhaps more troubling, it's a perfect encapsulation of so many moves that went wrong for the team during the 1990s.