THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Better now? We will soon see on the M's

Shocking.

This time, Jerry Dipoto did not pull the trigger.

Not in the final hours, at least, with all the big shooters out on the street.

But if you want an even more stunning surprise, nobody else came out firing, either.

After endless chatter and theories and possibilities about which team would make THE massive trade before Tuesday’s deadline, nothing happened.

Baseball went to sleep.

That wicked shootout never happened — probably because the cost of ammo was too high.

To be fair, the Mariners got in the first shot, grabbing Randy Arozarena days ahead of the deadline.

And that was it.

OK, not quite.

Jerry and his army of talent-hunters added reliever Yimi Garcia and 39-year-old DH Justin Turner — both from Toronto, and potentially very useful for the cost.

They also added a hint of old-home week by inviting reliever JT Chargois back from Miami.

You might think Chargois was barely known side piece among these deals, but there are a couple of things about him that seem worth remembering.

First of all, he’s been good (or close to it) in each of his seven years in The Show — but he seems to be proof that the Mariners have some kind of magic going with bullpen employees.

JT HAD his best (partial) season with Seattle in 2021, holding a WHIP of 0.697, and he got better immediately after that year working the Mariner voodoo.

Also, Chargois became known as one of the best-looking humans who ever worked for the club — so his many admirers can applaud his return.

By the way, we’ve mentioned this recently, but the Mariners can happily add outfielder Victor Robles (hitting .303 as of Tuesday night) to the list of trade deadline acquisitions.

They just happened to snatch the former Washington prospect about a month before the deadline.

Dipoto held an informal press conference on Tuesday afternoon, and conceded that although the Mariners kept some “irons in the fire,” there really was next to nothing going on in the market after lunchtime.

Shall we hit the pool, anyone?

The reason for the absurdly slow going, apparently, was that the selling clubs all heard the rumble that they could make a killing.

So, they set outrageous prices for anyone who could reach first base without a water break, and the “buying clubs” responded by ordering a round of those cute little cocktails with umbrellas.

And they said: “Nah.”

The Mariners, in fact, were rumored to be in a close-to-the-deadline battle for Tampa Bay first baseman Yandy Diaz.

You could find gossip everywhere.

Yankees-Mariners-Astros-Pirates.

Then Pittsburgh dropped out.

We were all expecting a last-minute spending war, particularly with the Mariners and Houston engaged in their head-to-head battle in the AL West.

Nope.

Rays beat reporter Francys Romero posted on X that Tampa was asking for three or four prospects for Diaz – a solid 33-year-old pro who is still hitting .270, can play both corner infield spots, but is hardly worth a fortune.

SEATTLE goofed on the price that was going to be asked for the top-tier players — but apparently so did almost everyone else.

Dipoto admitted he was flummoxed by the fact that NONE of the top 100 prospects were moved on deadline day.

He said it felt logical that a few of the most desired players would be snapped up by richer clubs who also were blessed by fat farm system.

It never happened.

In fact, the Mariners got a couple of real breaks with this year’s midseason player movement.

First, they signed Robles when everyone was busy preparing for the amateur draft, then they managed to do business with the Rays on Arozarena before Tampa had decided to bump up all their prices.

And finally, even though they wouldn’t pay big for Diaz, neither would (or could) Houston.

The Mariners lost no ground, and you can argue that they’re in a better position than they were a week ago.

“We’re in a good spot if we can get the injured guys back (J.P. Crawford and Julio Rodriguez),” Dipoto said.

“We’re chasing a division title, and not a wild-card spot.

“That has to be better.”

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.”