At first, it seemed like the ultimate Christmas present.

Saint Louis alum Brandon League had spent his entire career with the Toronto Blue Jays, a team that hadn’t been to the postseason since back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and ’93.

Anxious to experience the atmosphere of playoff baseball, League was traded last December to the Seattle Mariners, who at the time were quickly becoming the trendy pick in the American League West for 2010.

League joined offseason acquisitions Cliff Lee, Chone Figgins, Milton Bradley and Casey Kotchman as a core group of players the Mariners brought in to help improve on their 85-win season a year ago. Many thought they had a chance at the division crown.

Instead, it has been quite the opposite.

All that optimism has disappeared, replaced by many frustrating moments as the Mariners have been one of the biggest disappointments of the 2010 season.

It started with the sudden retirement of Ken Griffey Jr. and continued with the firing of manager Don Wakamatsu last month.

The Mariners (52-82) are 23 1/2 games out of first place in the AL West after last night’s 6-3 loss at home to Cleveland. They’re fighting to avoid losing 100 games.

"It’s tough, what happens with injuries and guys not doing what they are capable of doing," League said prior to a game last week in Boston against the Red Sox. "It happens and it’s too bad it happened to us this year. But we’re trying to make the best of it and finish out strong and carry that momentum into next year."

League, whom the Mariners acquired in a trade sending former No. 1 draft pick Brandon Morrow to the Blue Jays, has been the Mariners’ most consistent performer in the bullpen.

Despite the turmoil around him, he is putting the final touches on his best season as a pro. He currently ranks in the top 10 in the AL with 60 appearances, compiling a 9-6 record with a 2.78 ERA.

"I’ve felt good, but it’s still disappointing because of how we’ve done as a team," League said. "It’d mean a lot more if we were winning games."

League is one of the five players from Hawaii currently in the majors, joining Kanekoa Texeira and Kila Ka’aihue of the Kansas City Royals, Shane Victorino in Philadelphia and Kurt Suzuki in Oakland.

Ka’aihue, a 2002 ‘Iolani grad, was called up in early August, just in time for a series against the Mariners in Seattle. He never got a chance to hit against his Hawaii counterpart, unlike in high school, when League admitted that Ka’aihue "got me a couple times."

"It’s cool to see all these guys from Hawaii playing," League said. "When (Kansas City) came to Seattle, they all came over to my house. Kila’s family was in town and Kanekoa’s family was in town and my mom was there, so we all hung out."

Kamehameha’s Dane Sardinha was called up briefly by the Phillies, giving Hawaii six different guys that have played in the majors this year. Thirteen other players from Hawaii are working their way up the minor league system, while another 13 are playing independent ball.

"It goes back to the guys that started off first like Lenny (Sakata) and Benny (Agbayani) and Mike Fetters, who have given us someone to look up to," League said. "They’ve paved the way for the new crop of guys."

League, who was a second-round pick in the 2001 amateur draft, is at the top of that new crop. He figures to contend for the Mariners’ closer role in 2011 and is on pace to end the season with 10 wins and a sub-3.00 ERA.

"It’s great, because anything I do gives Hawaii exposure and shows that ‘hey, we can play over here too,’ " he said.