THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: M's keep building their team, sans splash

“There are three kinds of lies: there are lies, there are damned lies, and then there are statistics.”

—Mark Twain

1907

The irony of that famous phrase, which Twain included in “Chapters from My Autobiography,” goes beyond the danger of relying on statistics.

Twain himself credited British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli with the quote, but no one can prove that Disraeli ever said it or wrote it.

In fact, so many people have been tagged as authors of the line that an entire book was published to investigate its origin.

Twain would have been amused, no doubt, because his whole point was about being careful whom and what you choose to believe.

And that leads us to the obvious subject …

Jerry Dipoto.

No, not because Jerry is either a liar or damned liar (though he might use a gentle fib when dealing with fellow baseball executives).

The issue here is the ongoing construction of the 2023 Mariners roster.

DIPOTO and GM Dustin Hollander have been saying fairly frequently that, although they’re pleased with the addition of right fielder Teoscar Hernandez and second baseman Kolten Wong, well …

The lineup still needs another right-handed hitting outfielder and a jack-of-all-trades to back up both Eugenio Suarez at third base and/or Ty France at first.

So, in just the past few days, the Mariners have cut a one-year, $7 million deal with veteran A.J. Pollock to play left field.

The ink was barely dry on that contract when Seattle signed journeyman infielder Colin Moran to a minor-league contract — along with an invitation to next month’s big-league camp.

If you were hoping for a spectacular move to fill out the Mariners’ lineup card (adding someone like Pittsburgh outfielder Bryan Reynolds, for instance), Pollock and Moran probably won’t exactly spike your heart rate.

When you scramble to your phone or computer to check their recent statistics, the needle isn’t likely to stay on neutral.

It’s probably going to slip downward.

You should remember Pollock from his three years with the Dodgers (2019-21) when he hit a lot of rockets — and you no doubt noticed him in the playoffs.

But …

Pollock is now 35, he played last season for the White Sox, and turned in the saddest stats of his career, slashing .245/.292/.389.

Ah, but don’t forget that advice from Mark Twain about statistics.

Please recall that the Mariners are looking for a platoon player, someone who can keep Jarred Kelenic and perhaps Taylor Trammell from facing left-handed pitching — while still giving those young guys enough at-bats to develop in the big leagues.

“He’s had a very steady major league career,” Dipoto said when discussing Pollock on a Thursday radio appearance.

“Among the things that he does very steadily is, he beats up left-handed pitching.

“And he did it again last year, in what was otherwise — he will be the first to tell you — not the best year he’s had as a major leaguer.”

Indeed.

Last year, Pollock had a .935 OPS and 11 (of his 14) home runs in 133 plate appearances against lefties — compared to a .593 OPS in 394 plate appearances against right-handers.

Pollock owns a career OPS of .868 against left-handers, and those numbers have been steady year to year.

He may have lost a step defensively by now, but Pollock also is a former Gold Glove winner, so he fits the Mariners’ need for a platoon left-fielder pretty neatly.

ADDING Moran was even more of a head-scratcher, especially if you believe Seattle intends to keep him on the major-league roster.

In fact, I suspect Moran will be around as an insurance policy — perhaps spending a share of the ’23 season in Tacoma.

However …

Keeping him with the big-league club isn’t a terrible idea.

Moran has played several years with the Pirates and then the Reds, contributing just enough to keep drawing a salary.

He can play both first and third (though not well enough to raise eyebrows) and the Mariners have holes since the departures of Carlos Santana and Abraham Toro.

Moran is a left-handed hitter, so he might be the kind of guy you’d use to rest Suarez or France.

The best thing you can say about Moran is that he’s a professional.

The second-best thing is that he won’t cost much.

Still …

Moran has played 502 games in The Show, and hit a respectable .263 with an OPS of .743.

Since he’s no ballet dancer in the field and isn’t exactly quick — ONE stolen base in his career — but clearly has a little pop in his bat, Moran could be useful as a DH from time to time.

Perhaps the Mariners can find a more talented player for this backup role – Brandon Belt was considered, but he fetched $9.5 million from Toronto for one year, despite coming off a serious injury.

Unless something a little more jazzy turns up, though, Scott Servais doesn’t want to look down the bench and find it empty.

So, Dipoto and Hollander have taken out an insurance policy, which covers collision and comprehensive situations for now.

It’s how you build a team, folks.

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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.”