THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Hold on, the Mariners might be onto something

Was it worth it?

That’s what Mariners fans are asking after absorbing some stunning trade news on Friday.

But that might be the wrong question.

How about …

What’s next?

VP Jerry Dipoto has been saying for a month that the club needed at least one more starting pitcher — a necessity, considering the club’s legitimate concern over the blessed young arms of Logan Gilbert and George Kirby.

So …

No one would have been surprised that Dipoto made a move for that extra starter.

The shocker, obviously, was that the Mariners latched on to Luis Castillo — an unquestioned ace who was pursued by several of the game’s power teams — while trading away three of Seattle’s five top-rated prospects.

Fans and media watchers were braced for Dipoto having to give up one of two thrilling Class A shortstops.

To get Castillo, though, the Mariners said good-bye to BOTH homegrown prizes, Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo — along with two right-handed pitchers who also are a few years from the majors.

BACK WHEN he first started talking about the trade deadline (this Tuesday at 3 p.m.) and the need for a starter, Dipoto mentioned that there likely would be some pain on the horizon.

“You understand that if you’re going to make a deal at the deadline, rather than in December, you’re going to pay a tax for that,” Dipoto said. I doubt that many of us, though, expected the “extra shortstop” tax.

The funny thing is that shortstop is the strength of Cincinnati’s quickly growing farm system.

But there is saying that baseball scouts and executives love to toss around …

“You can never have too many shortstops, or too many starting pitchers.”

Ironically, both teams chose to live by that philosophy in the Castillo trade.

There seems to be a reaction among the Mariner faithful that Dipoto went all-in for one of the game’s best starters because of the club’s 21-year playoff drought.

Seattle obviously has a shot at a wild-card spot, and rolling out Luis Castillo every fifth day clearly makes the odds of nabbing that postseason spot a little better.

It seems to me, though, that two things are being missed here.

First of all, the Mariners could have solved the extra-starter issue by acquiring a decent, middle-of-the-rotation veteran — much as they did last year with Tyler Anderson.

It’s possible that Seattle might still have Noelvi AND Arroyo today if Dipoto hadn’t taken the big swing.

Why, then?

Well, it’s simple.

Getting Castillo isn’t so much about making the playoffs as it about winning once you get there.

Front-line pitching is the way to do it.

And now, suddenly, Seattle can throw Castillo, Robbie Ray and Gilbert (or Marco Gonzales) in a playoff series. There’s not much use in trading four legitimate prospects just to help land a wild-card spot.

Nope.

You want to crash the party and WIN!

RECALL that I mentioned an appropriate question after landing Castillo, which might be ...

What’s next?

There is quick piece of background here.

The Mariners have trouble scoring runs — oh, you’ve noticed? — so it’s possible that Dipoto is counting on the full return to health of Kyle Lewis and Mitch Haniger to provide the required pop.

We all know how badly hits have been needed, since the M’s have left entire villages in scoring position and strolled away empty.

Frankly, banking on Lewis and Haniger is a gamble, and Jerry would admit it.

Plan B therefore becomes: “What’s Next?

Dipoto has a couple of days — by the time you read this — to go land a bat.

One thing truly fascinates me about this hunt for offense: Do the Mariners still believe Jarred Kelenic can be a superstar?

Some other teams surely would gamble on it.

Maybe the Cubs, who are going nowhere, would give you Ian Happ and his steady production to buy the Kelenic lottery ticket.

I honestly wonder if Seattle would let him go.

Kelenic is hitting .289 at Tacoma and, once again, he’s banging the ball hard — 34 of his 65 hits have gone for extra bases.

The ball jumps off his bat, and he’s still only 23, so there’s time for him to learn better plate discipline and understanding of the strike zone.

Okay, maybe the Mariners can find a veteran bat — someone to make a difference — without discarding Kelenic.

Maybe.

Bear in mind, though, that Dipoto wants to do some postseason winning this year — or 2023, at the latest.

He may have to pay that deadline tax again.

Brace yourselves.

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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 off season, 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.”