THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Time to spend if Mariners want to contend in '24

Trades are such fun.

Free-agent signings, too.

Admit it, you see your favorite team making some bold moves, and you think: “That fills the hole (or holes) that bogged us down.

“This deal could mean a title.”

Of course, these additions are MOST exciting before your new players actually get between the white lines.

You can let your dreams run wild until your gifted new stars actually have to play.

Sometimes it works.

Spectacularly.

Seahawks fans can smile permanently at the pile of talent acquired for Russell Wilson, and simply assume that Pete Carroll and John Schneider — those clever, scheming devils — are likely to create magic whenever they make a move.

Leonard Williams and Frank Clark will be the final pieces to bolster that front seven (you believe as you slumber each night), and make an already rugged group into a passable imitation of the Steelers’ old Steel Curtain.

The chance that neither Clark nor Williams has anything left in the tank, well, don’t be ridiculous. 

Just up the street, the Mariners have built a bona fide contender by pulling off shrewd deals, thus complementing a terrific farm system born (mostly) of excellent drafts.

WE KNOW now, for instance, that J.P. Crawford is the heart of the whole group and one of the best overall shortstops in the game.

So?

How many of you actually remember whom club boss Jerry Dipoto shipped out to get Crawford, who has become the soul of Seattle baseball?

In fact, the Mariners snagged Crawford (then just a 23-year-old prospect) along with Carlos Santana by convincing the win-now Phillies to take Jean Segura, James Pazos and Juan Nicasio prior to the 2019 season.

Better yet, Seattle then locked up Crawford with a contract that runs through 2026 and tops out at $12 million in that final year — an absolute thrift-store price for someone like J.P. in this era of skyrocketing salaries. Of course, the real world doesn’t always match those transactions planned in your imagination.

Think: Jesse Winker, Kolten Wong, yada, yada.

Or.

What if the Mariners were to send fans into total raptures by shelling out something within touching distance of a billion dollars this off season for the generational talents of Shohei Ohtani — and only THEN discovered that he needed Tommy John surgery?

Sure, Ohtani is still going to fetch a bundle as a pure hitter (with the possibility that he’ll pitch again sometime in his thirties), but his price tag wouldn’t be anywhere nearly as astronomical as a one-skill star. 

And.

Yes.

I’d take him in a heartbeat the day he’s eligible to sign.

So would Dipoto.

So would you.

After all, fans are all in for big free-agent signings for two reasons.

First, the club doesn’t have to part with, say, Logan Gilbert to acquire a hitter you covet.

It’s just money.

Second, it’s not YOUR money.

Forbes and other publications that dig deep into these things insist that the Mariners are making quite a profit these days — plus, the value of the franchise itself has jumped more than any other in MLB.

So, SPEND it.

Right?

ONE OF the great things about imagining trades is that it gives the fan base a genuine chance to argue. 

That outfielder you want?

I might think he’s the next Winker, and a total waste of resources.

A classic example: Several knowledgeable baseball pundits look at the Mariners’ needs and agree that, yep, they’ve got to find another big-time bat.

Or two.

The emphasis seems to be on right field (assuming they don’t re-sign Teoscar Hernandez) and the corner infield spots.

I’ve seen several analyses that start with the assumption that Julio Rodriguez is locked into the center field spot (duh!), along with Jarred Kelenic in left.

That’s a mistake.

Kelenic is going to strike out at ridiculous levels, but without the power to justify it (he hit one home run after May).

The Mariners need more hitters who can put the bat on the ball consistently — especially if they wind up keeping Hernandez.

We’ll have a column soon with a long look at who’s available in free agency, and who might be worth a trade.

For what it’s worth, I’m pretty high on young Dom Canzone, the outfielder the M’s landed in the Paul Sewald trade.

I’d like to see him get a real shot, especially since he has a live bat without high whiff totals.

I’m also aiming for switch-hitters when you can get them, so I’d find a regular role for swift Sam Haggerty — plus, out in the market, there are guys like Josh Bell and Jeimer Candelario available as free agents.

In this age of facing tough relievers and match-up problems from the fifth inning onwards, switch hitters will become more and more valuable.

Listening, Jerry?

Needless to say, we’ll have more (and even MORE) information on all of this, since free agents can sign just five days after the end of the World Series.

The exercise really is fun — especially if your deals work.

The Mariners are so, so close.

Keep the checkbook handy, fellas.

It’s time.

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.”