THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Forget the spending, just get some good guys to Seattle

Shall we talk money?

Or the World Series?

How about both?

Judging from the jovial correspondence I’ve received over the past week, a pretty good chunk of readers think Dodgers and Yankees are appearing the in Fall Classic because of their checkbooks.

(Yes, I tossed the word “jovial” in there for some fun. The truth is that Mariners fans are closer to surly than relaxed when it comes to baseball teams spending on the hired help.)

It’s hard to blame folks in this part of the world.

OK, the Mariners are relatively new in MLB, but having been around for 44 seasons, it’s not like they were born yesterday.

Fair enough to accept historic success from the Yankees and Dodgers.

The Yanks have been going at this since 1903 and they’ve played in 41 World Series (winning 27).

Mariner loyalists aren’t demanding that kind of domination, nor do they believe John Stanton’s ownership group should shell out the kind of money that runs through the Yankees’ accounts every year.

But a FEW years on the big stage?

Just once in a while?

WHY NOT?

This is a club that won a historic 116 games in 2001, so it’s not like they’re tossing a bunch of stiffs out there from year to year.

In fact, the M’s have been in the race for the AL West title and/or wild-card postseason each of the last four years.

“Spend some money!” you shout at club president Jerry Dipoto — and even, louder at Stanton in the fancy office up the chain of command.

Fair enough.

How much do you think would make sense?

Think about it this way: Every owner in Major League Baseball is a billionaire.

A few are mega-mega-mega.

We’ll return to logic with the shopping cart in a second, but for the sake of comparison, Forbes tags Stanton with a net worth of $1.1 billion.

You and I would love to go yacht-shopping with that kind of cash, but in MLB circles, Stanton can’t even get a good seat on the aisle.

Once you accept that everyone in baseball has billions (and north of it), it’s easier to say, “Fine, then draft well, develop well, trade well, and SCOUT good agents that fit your budget.”

That’s been the problem.

The Mariners’ payroll this year was roughly $148 million (16th in MLB), according to Spotrac.

Richer teams have rolled to success — Yankees at $309 million (No. 2) and the Dodgers $241 million (No. 5).

But so have teams that live in middle-class neighborhoods and shop at IKEA.

Detroit was 26th at $98 million, and there was a nice string of solid seasons beginning with the Royals ($122 million) at No. 20.

Milwaukee, Baltimore and Cleveland (Nos. 21-23) spent $115 million, $109 million and $106 million all won 90-plus games.

It can be done if you have the personnel people and analytics to help you get there.

I CAN’T believe that even fans with no feel for the finances are demanding that Stanton should bid for the Ohtanis of the world.

Be reasonable.

Look, landing Ohtani was a coup for the Dodgers, who could offer the money, the winning and a chance to stay in sunny southern California.

But it still could have gone all wrong.

The Mets spend more than anyone and were respectable this year (89 wins), but that same spending spree by owner Steve Cohen handed him a team worth garbage.

Does it help to have a massive pile of chips to sit at the table?

Of course.

That’s obvious.

You have to know the game and the players, though.

The Mariners spent just about the amount on free agents that you would expect — but Jorge Polanco, Mitch Garver and Mitch Haniger all flopped.

Ironically, they took a guy off the waiver wire that nobody wanted (Victor Robles) and he’s become a fixture in right field for the next two or three years.

Make good decisions.

How’s that for a plan?

If you’re drowning in $100 bills, then sign everyone who suits your fancy and then release the ones who hit .160.

I’m kidding.

The Mariners’ payroll will go up next year, in part because some good players are due for raises in arbitration.

And, yes, maybe they can bump it up a little more, now that the television business has been sorted out.

Nothing will get the Mariners to their first World Series, though, faster than landing good players.

That’s always going to be the golden rule.

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.”