THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Believe it, M's still have a shot at some stars

I’m going out on a limb.

In fact, I’m heading so far out on this limb, I’ll be in a different area code.

Maybe I’m willing to risk a painful fall (my back can’t possibly get any worse) because so many Mariner fans are frustrated to the point of throwing themselves into the fireplace.

You remember the Mariners, right?

Just checking, since the club brain trust (Jerry Dipoto and Justin Hollander) have done absolutely nada since the club’s final, tear-stained game of the 2024 season.

Oh, wait.

Forgive me, guys.

The Mariners DID acquire rookie third baseman Austin Shenton, who may not even be a household name in his own home.

To be fair, he might be known around here, since he was born in Spokane — although his family moved west to Bellingham.

The M’s clearly like Shenton, since they drafted him in 2019, traded him to Tampa Bay two years later, and now have brought him back for cash — which the Rays treasure above all else.

Shenton has some pop.

He hit 29 homers two years ago, splitting time in Double-A and Triple-A, and already had 20 dingers when the Rays called him up for a very brief debut last season.

NO, THAT is not me going out on a limb.

It’s not even the Mariners taking any risk.

Shenton might be a breakout star, and he may not.

(Always vote no until proven otherwise.)

So.

About that limb.

Here’s the deal: I think Dipoto and his gang believe, hand over heart, that they have a legit chance to sign the latest Japanese pitching phenom, Roki Sasaki.

Nobody else must think it’s a possibility, because there are always six or seven teams mentioned in stories about the courting of Sasaki.

It’s the big-market crowd you’d expect, with the Dodgers and Padres considered the top candidates to land this next prize.

However, money isn’t the deal with Sasaki.

He could have gotten gazillions if he’d waited two years, until he turned 25, to leave Japan and pitch over here.

As it is, he’s subject to the limits of MLB’s international signing limits.

Although this probably won’t matter, the Mariners are at the upper limit with $7.5 million in their international pool — and surely would give it all to Sasaki (actually 60 percent of it, the MLB limit).

What’s more, Sasaki has said that the No. 1 thing he’s looking for in an American destination is the chance to become the best pitcher in baseball.

He’s freely admitted that, despite his natural gifts, he has a lot to learn, and wants to find the best possible situation for his development.

Seriously, has any team proved its talent for improving pitchers like the Mariners?

It’s what they do.

Sasaki doesn’t have to check MLB box scores every day to know that Seattle has four fabulous homegrown starters in its everyday rotation.

MY HUNCH is that the Mariners are about as confident as it’s possible to be, considering that the wooing of Sasaki is taking place in almost total secrecy.

Sasaki’s agent, Joel Wolfe, has said that his client wouldn’t necessarily rule out a smaller, mid-market club.

Apparently, Sasaki is besieged by the media in Japan, and would just as soon not have the nightmare repeated once he’s in the U.S.

What are the Mariners saying about all this?

Nothing.

That’s one reason I’ve crawled out on the limb.

Dipoto desperately needs to add some infielders to the roster, guys who can hit.

Yet with all due respect to Austin Shenton, Jerry hasn’t made a move.

He could at least have snapped up a mid-tier free agent like former Padres second baseman Ha-Seong Kim, or reclamation project Yoan Moncada (formerly of the White Sox) to take a shot at third.

The Rays want to trade infielder Brandon Lowe, and Dipoto deals with them routinely.

See: Austin Shenton.

Still, the Mariners remain quiet.

I’m thinking they want to get an answer on Sasaki, and if they hit the jackpot, they can comfortably trade Luis Castillo — saving enough cash to sign yet another bat.

No one on the national scene gives the Mariners a sniff in the Sasaki derby.

Maybe they’re all correct, and Seattle will have to find another fork in the road.

Shenton starting on opening day, maybe?

We’ll know soon.

Sasaki is eligible to sign next week, and has until the 23rd to pick a team.

And then, what?

Well, at least I can crawl down from that damn limb.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and 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.”