THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Jerry, resist the urge to trade for Soto

So, you want Juan Soto, eh?

No.

No, no, no.

Let me explain.

I get it that the Mariners have lit a fire under baseball fans throughout the Northwest — and deservedly so.

There have been a couple of breaks along the way, as happens in any remarkable streak, but you can’t win 14 in a row and 22 of 25 without playing some supreme ball.

Not only has Seattle gotten the attention of fans and media nationwide (and we ALL know how tough that can be), this team has managed to surge into postseason contention despite suspensions to Jesse Winker, J.P. Crawford and Julio Rodriguez, plus injuries to Ty France, Crawford (again) and reliever Ken Giles.

There is a bottom line here, and you should be coming around to it now …

These Mariners are good.

The pitching has been the best in MLB for more than month.

And the offense, which seemed for a while as though it might set every possible record for runners left on base, has begun to hit when it matters.

ALL THAT sets up the obvious question.

Should club prez Jerry Dipoto go to ownership and ask for permission (and a ton of money) to get in the sweepstakes for Nationals superstar Juan Soto — an outright star who has two and half years of club control remaining?

Since we don’t see him that often out West, here’s the quick brief on Soto …

He’s arguably one of the best players in the game, along with Mookie Betts (who nipped him for Rookie of the Year in 2018) and Mike Trout, who is now 30 years old.

We’re excluding the ridiculous Shohei Ohtani and his historic two-way advantage.

Lord knows what HE might be worth.

Meanwhile, Soto is still only 23, but he’s already led Washington to a World Series title, and his numbers in four-plus years (including projections for this season) shake out to a .293 batting average, 34 home runs and an OPS of .968.

Yikes!

Soto has never had an on-base percentage below .400 nor an OPS below .900, in part because no one is anxious to throw him strikes.

He led the National League in walks with 129 last year, and has already strolled to first a league-tops 79 times so far this season.

This is the type of superstar you rarely — VERY rarely — find on the trade market.

The Nationals dropped Soto into that category last week when he (and agent Scott Boras) declined a 15-year, $440 million contract extension.

Teams salivating over what Soto would add to their lineup must be prepared to part with several of their very top prospects, perhaps a young impact major leaguer — and pick up the rest of pitcher Patrick Corbin’s hideous contract.

Corbin has two years coming beyond this season, in which he’ll earn a total topping $50 million — for turning in ERAs of 5.82 and 5.87 the last couple of seasons (making him statistically the worst full-time starter in MLB).

So, yeah, the price for Soto will be steep.

Like, Himalaya steep.

YET THE Mariners have been mentioned in plenty of stories, podcasts and national game broadcasts when discussing Soto’s destination.

The world (presumably including Nationals management) finally has noticed that Seattle’s farm system is loaded with outstanding prospects — at various levels, which is a huge advantage.

The short version of that story is that having talent throughout the system means that you can — if the reward is worth it — move a glitzy name or two, players that everyone reads about.

In the Mariners’ case, that could include Jarred Kelenic (who is beginning to batter Triple-A pitching) and now-healthy basher Kyle Lewis, while MIGHT include High-A shortstop Noelvi Marte, and probably would have Class A infielder Edwin Arroyo somewhere in the mix.

Washington also would demand one (maybe both) of George Kirby or Emerson Hancock to anchor its future pitching staffs.

Now …

This is where I tell you to calm down, and quit dreaming about Julio and Soto playing side by side in a magical outfield.

Frankly, it’s silly to give up so much talent and money for one outfielder — no matter how good he might be.

A dominant pitcher like Gerrit Cole or Max Scherzer, well, that’s a different story.

And speaking of pitchers …

I can’t speak for Dipoto, but I would NEVER turn loose a young pitcher who is already locked in your plans.

Kirby, we’ve already seen — and at least one personnel evaluator insists he ultimately will be better than Logan Gilbert.

Hancock recently threw one inning in the Futures All-Star Game, and struck out all three batters he faced with unhittable stuff.

You win with pitching, defense and timely hitting — as the Mariners’ current streak has proven.

What’s more, pitchers are far harder to develop (and keep healthy) than outfielders.

Stick with the great scouting, Jerry, then bringing all these kids through the farm system and adding a Robbie Ray each year.

It’s working.

Don’t sell the farm for one nice, gleaming tractor.

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week. He also writes Zags Tracker, a commentary on Gonzaga basketball which is published monthly during the offseason, and weekly beginning in October.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”