THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: First step for M's: Patch some holes in the infield

NOTE: This is the time of year when pretty much every sport is going full-speed. 

Basketball, football, hockey, racing (two-footed, four-legged, on concrete, on dirt, on water, on mountains, etc.). 

I’ve left baseball off this list, since the World Series just ended, but the truth is that the national pastime is rocking and rolling. 

Free agency for MLB began five days after the Series, so if players aren’t changing teams every 10 minutes, it’s only because agents want to drag out the process to make all those new salaries astronomical. 

So, will the Mariners get involved in this sale of horse flesh? 

The M’s are close enough to win the AL West, or the World Series. 

A little help here, a little bit there. Imagine the Northwest with Seattle in the World Series. 

Wow! 

Why not go for it? 

THE M’S actually have plenty of the parts necessary to beat the big boys. 

A lights-out pitching rotation. 

A catcher in Cal Raleigh who can get everything done (34 home runs, 100 RBI, Platinum Glove as the league’s best defender at any position), and has become the club leader. 

An athletic, exciting outfield (Julio Rodriguez, Victor Robles, Randy Arozarena) that’s worth paying ticket money to see. 

There are even some very useful tools who could play a major part in the 2025 roster — Luke Raley may earn the first-base job, and Dylan Moore could win one of the open infield jobs. 

By the way, everyone mentioned so far (except Cal) can run like a deer, and even the Big Dumper stole six bases last year. 

Club president Jerry Dipoto has already said the outfield is set, with the possibility that Raley could work into the rotation on some days. 

“That’s the group that will give us our jets,” Dipoto said. 

We’ll talk at length about the pitching on Thursday — should they trade a starter for more offense or stand pat, and how do they fill the bullpen? 

OK, if we think through the pitching situation on another day (and assume, dangerously, that the everyday lineup will perform as hoped), that leaves us looking at a team harmed almost exclusively by holes around the infield. 

Heading into last year, shortstop would have been no worry at all, since J.P. Crawford was a defensive wizard, perhaps their best clutch hitter, and certainly the one you’d count on to know the strike zone. 

Crawford, though, had a terrible year, beset by injuries, hit pitches, and yeah, some bad luck with balls he put in play. 

But the truth is that the Mariners don’t know if Crawford will find his game — because his struggles mirrored the team’s. 

His batting average dropped from .264 to .202, walks from a league-leading 94 to 52, and the obvious issue, his fWAR careened from 5.1 to 2.7. 

J.P. is signed through 2026, so a decision has to be made. 

A year ago, you’d have said that if Seattle were going to make just one major free agent buy to fill in a hole, it certainly wouldn’t have been at shortstop. 

Now? 

IT’S A cinch that, however they find these troops, the Mariners will be adding to the infield. 

They’ve had three or four whiffs with sorry additions at second base recently, and then last year, they traded the club’s soul, third baseman Eugenio Suarez, just to save some money. 

Suarez mashed the ball while helping an Arizona team that reached the NLCS last year, while Seattle was left with a cast of thousands at third base, all hitting under .200. 

To say that the infield has to be fixed is a wild understatement. 

Would they spend some money? 

If it’s real cash, maybe you get Willy Adames and play him at second — or move him back to his natural spot at short if Crawford doesn’t find his game. 

If it’s something less pricey, maybe they’ll kick the tires on Hye-Seong Kim, who is moving stateside after a solid career playing second in Korea. 

One thing is certain: Dipoto will try to re-sign 40-year-old Justin Turner, who was a huge help — at the plate and in the clubhouse — when they added him at midseason last year. 

You might notice that we haven’t mentioned a third baseman, which brings M’s minor leaguer Tyler Locklear into the picture. 

Like quite a few on this team, Locklear only needs to strike out less to make an impact. 

There are several other prospects for various positions, players like Colt Emerson and Cole Young, whose destination this year will be a mystery — until it isn’t. 

When you look at the whole thing, this is the year the Mariners HAVE to spend some money. 

Unless they don’t.

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.”