THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: This O's castoff could become the real McCoy for M's

Say hello to Mason McCoy.

Who?

Well, he’s popular in Tacoma (and maybe Norfolk), but not much further out into the Northwest or anywhere else.

And yet …

McCoy could be the surprise name on the Mariners’ opening day roster.

We’re talking about a utility infielder who’s about to turn 28, who was drafted in the sixth round by Baltimore back in 2017, and who has toiled in the Orioles’ minor league system ever since then.

The O’s finally decided after the ’22 season that McCoy wasn’t making any noticeable progress, no matter where they put him.

He was a defensive wizard at any infield position, fair enough, but he just didn’t project as a guy who was ever going to hit.

To be fair, McCoy has a .264 batting average and .331 on-base percentage for his efforts in the minors (that computes to a so-so .728 OPS), and he’s stolen 65 bases along the way.

Yet …

Baltimore didn’t see a future for McCoy, and traded him to the Mariners a year ago for the always popular “cash considerations.”

Did Seattle see something special in this journeyman glove artist, or was the organization simply short of an infielder at Triple-A?

IT MAY not make any difference.

Likewise, the question of whether McCoy was growing as a player and making good adjustments on his own — or benefitted from the Mariners’ excellent development system.

Either way, he came alive in Tacoma.

McCoy had a lot of fun in 2022, hitting .256 with an .805 OPS — that power jump coming mostly from 23 doubles and 21 home runs (his previous high was nine).

Then there was the speed, which you could guess might be part of the package since McCoy is considered a blue-chip defender.

Anyhow, he added 22 stolen bases to his resume last season — becoming the Rainiers’ first-ever 20-20 player.

These were all decent numbers at Tacoma but, honestly, the Mariners seemed set at every infield position except second base — and solved that problem by trading for Gold Glover Kolten Wong.

Seattle also had do-everything Dylan Moore (with his new contract) to back up everywhere and often platoon with Wong against left-handed pitchers.

The Mariners also had signed another versatile infielder, Tommy La Stella.

However …

Moore is coming off oblique surgery, and he may not be over the problem.

It was announced this week that Dylan has suffered a Grade 1 oblique strain — not exactly debilitating, but bad enough to keep him from any baseball activities until well into the regular season.

La Stella, meanwhile, has been fighting several injuries all spring, the worst a shoulder problem that has kept him from throwing a ball.

Like, at all.

Suddenly, the Mariners looked to be facing Cleveland on opening day with a serious shortage of infield help.

To put this in perspective, they’ve been playing Sam Haggerty at second and third in addition to his routine outfield duties.

This is not the sort of roster construction manager Scott Servais has had in mind.

A CLEAR option here would be to go outside the organization and find a solid infielder who isn’t critical to his current team.

You’d have to get into the mind of Mariners boss Jerry Dipoto to know if they ever thought about signing the versatile, experienced free agent Jurickson Profar — who just landed with the Rockies for $7.75 million.

If the Mariners are still thinking trade, the Marlins seem willing to part with Jon Berti, who led MLB in stolen bases last year with 41, and is under team control through 2025.

Plus: Berti controls the zone (the Mariners motto) and walked enough to post a .324 on-base percentage.

Minus: He’s 33, so you’d own him until age 35 (but obviously, he CAN still run).

In this new, all-action MLB, could you add ANOTHER speedy infielder — and justify production even when Moore returns?

This is a team that hopes to carry three catchers, remember.

The simple truth as we approach the regular season is that the Mariners need someone NOW to back up their starting infielders (beside the play-anywhere Haggerty).

And that, of course, is how we’ve been introduced to Mason McCoy.

There is no question about his defense just about anywhere, and Seattle is a team built on pitching and catching the baseball.

McCoy hit enough in Tacoma to suggest he might not be overwhelmed in the big leagues — though he struck out too often (26 percent) while trying to beef up those new long-ball totals.

It’s a serious jump, but McCoy shows a history of learning as he plays.

If nothing else, you would suspect that the Mariners would bring McCoy north with the club, and keep him around — at least until Moore is healthy.

There’s a numbers issue (always a problem in MLB), since McCoy would have to be added to the 40-man roster — and those spots are precious.

But …

The Mariners have to add another infielder.

Period.

McCoy is the likely candidate.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”