THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: How many pieces will it take to fix broken M's

The Mariners are broken.

Boss Jerry Dipoto admitted it at his regular end-of-season media conference.

Jerry leaned on the notion that a lack of accountability and straying from the club's culture were responsible for a horribly disappointing season.

Crappy hitting in clutch situations didn't help, either.

Dipoto and GM Justin Hollander are now responsible for putting Humpty Dumpty back together, and they started by firing manager Dan Wilson.

Sources around baseball believed Seattle would hire Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, but Arizona signed him to an extension on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the only thing wrong with dismissing Wilson is that it came about four months too late.

Dan was a good guy with the players, but he was tactically awful — to the point that early in the season, his bosses "had to teach him baseball 101."

Even worse, Wilson's laid-back approach infected everybody.

The Mariners fell into a be-cool trap, and it turned into lethargy instead of hustle.

The team played hideous baseball, flubbing fundamentals, and running bases like Little Leaguers (sorry for the comparison, Little Leaguers), or more appropriately, Sunday beer ballers.

CALLS TO dump Dipoto's whole squad, however, are misguided.

Sorry, folks, you're wrong.

Jerry's team, which is pretty much still intact, came a whisker from making the World Series a year prior to this carnage.

Look, they didn't forget how to play baseball.

They just didn't do it.

The core of a playoff team remains under contract with the Mariners.

A combination of the team's vets and a platoon of gifted newcomers should give the next manager a flying start toward accomplishing in 2027 what so many people believed would be happening right now.

The holdovers who will walk right back into their positions in spring training are Julio Rodriguez (CF), Cal Raleigh (C), Josh Naylor (1B) and Cole Young (2B) — with Dominic Canzone's lively bat fitting in someplace.

I suspect that J.P. Crawford will open spring at shortstop, but J.P. has lost some legs and bat speed. He's coming to a time when he'll have to fight for his position.

Switch-hitting youngster Felnin Celesten is the shortstop of the future, and the only question is how fast he develops.

So far, it's coming at rocket speed.

Two future regulars are already penciled in on the lineup card. Ditto Brendan Donovan, who was held to 39 games because of injuries.

Michael Arroyo is a cinch, because he can flat-out hit. He's not a great defender, but the Mariners are thinking he can handle left field.

And then there's The Big Guy.

Lazaro Montes likely will start the season in some sort of platoon — he hasn't had success against lefties yet — but his supernatural power will earn some at-bats, guaranteed.

He can handle right field despite average speed, because of a cannon arm.

Donovan can play anywhere, and I suspect he'll start at third base (despite shaky defense).

Next year's Mariners will limit the number of poor defenders, since that's an area that needs improvement.

Come spring, the new manager and his staff will see whether Montes or Canzone is less dangerous in right field.

If Colt Emerson is healthy, I think he'll get a chance to beat out Crawford at short; and if he can't, Emerson can play third.

A  STRANGE thing about the Mariners is that the lineup is loaded with left-handed hitters.

Facing a right-handed pitcher, the M's can put seven lefties on the lineup card (Raleigh turned around left), with only Rodriguez and Arroyo hitting from the right side.

Not only that, but Seattle's four or five prospects who look closest to making it to the big leagues are left-handed — plus Celesten, who is a switch-hitter.

The goal in 2027: Swing at strikes, think contact instead of long ball, use the whole field, and understand the situation.

In other words, don't swing out of your shoes at passing airplanes ... with a runner on third and one out.

Think!

Sorting out the pitching staff could be more confusing, but there will be rewards for the work.

All the regular starters wobbled from brilliant to baffling, but we KNOW they can be terrific.

Personally, I believe that some of the poor starts in midseason were the product of the whole team's dreary attitude, with pitchers walking to the mound in a bit of a haze.

This next time around, I expect the Mariners to feel the buzz they created in 2025, and the result will be playing hard and letting talent do its thing.

Heading into spring, the rotation will stay intact: Kade Anderson, Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, George Kirby and Bryce Miller.

Emerson Hancock proved he could be an excellent starter, and young Ryan Sloan will be throwing for a major league job in Arizona.

The starters will be fine.

As for the bullpen, well, Matt Brash should be back and nobody can hit HIM.

The M's have outstanding coaches to help straighten out the relievers (especially Andres Munoz) and put together a group of seven or eight guys for various roles — including a few who will be mysteries until we see them pitch a few times.

If Dipoto is looking for a trade, he'll almost certainly target a reliever.

Same with free agents.

Don't wait for dynamite signings, pitchers or hitters.

Most of the talent the Mariners need is already here.

Yes, really.

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Longtime journalist Steve Cameron writes "The Cheap Seats" for The Press three times each week.