Big deals made in final hours before trade deadline.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: Kevin Baxter

MIAMI _ Less than 24 hours before baseball's nonwaiver trade period was to expire Saturday, the whole thing appeared to be shaping up as the biggest midsummer bust since ``Catwoman.''

We were supposed to see Randy Johnson in a new color of pinstripes, Kris Benson in a dome and so many relievers changing teams that bullpen phones were being outfitted with call forwarding. But what we got through midday Friday was . . . nothing.

Then the New York Mets feebly stuck their toes into the pool, acquiring Pittsburgh's Benson and Tampa Bay right-hander Victor Zambrano in separate moves. And soon the trades started backing up like planes over O'Hare, just as Trader Jack said they would.

``Once the first big trade goes down, you'll see a flurry of them,'' said Marlins manager Jack McKeon, who earned his nickname during his days as a swashbuckling dealmaker for the San Diego Padres two decades ago.

So, after weeks of posturing, it took just 24 hours to redraw baseball's landscape. Hours before the Mets deals went through, the Marlins and Dodgers agreed on a trade that sent right-hander Brad Penny and first baseman Hee Seop Choi to Los Angeles for All-Star catcher Paul Lo Duca and former Marlin Juan Encarnacion, though the deal wasn't announced until after Friday night's game.

But that was just the start, and like the aftershocks of an earthquake, trade tremors continued to be felt right up to the end. In the final four hours before the deadline, the Yankees sent Jose Contreras to the White Sox for Esteban Loaiza; the Marlins finally got rid of disgruntled outfielder Abraham Nunez, sending him to Kansas City for reliever Rudy Seanez; the Red Sox dealt shortstop Nomar Garciaparra to the Chicago Cubs; Boston landed Montreal shortstop Orlando Cabrera and Minnesota first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz; the Expos got Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez; and the Dodgers received Steve Finley and Brent Mayne from Arizona.