THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: There's a time for M's to land Ohtani — and it's not now

Would Shohei Ohtani help the Mariners?

Duh.

You mean, the dazzling combo pitcher/hitter who is seriously discussed as the best player in the history of baseball?

Uh, yeah.

Suit him up.

However, there’s the second part to this question …

Should the Mariners TRADE for Shohei before the Aug. 1 deadline, essentially shipping a truckload of talent to the Angels to rent Ohtani for the rest of this season?

This assumes, of course, that Angels owner Arte Moreno decides to pull the trigger on a trade, rather than take his chances at retaining the Japanese megastar when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.

People close to the Angels believe Moreno is genuinely struggling with the decision.

Keeping Ohtani and his monstrous production at the plate and on the mound certainly makes the Angels better, but they’re under .500 and going nowhere.

Mike Trout is out with a broken bone in his hand, Anthony Rendon is injured (again), and this team has not come close to the playoffs since 2014.

OK, SO let’s say Moreno does what’s best for the franchise and ships Ohtani off to whatever team offers the greatest haul.

The only teams who might logically go for the biggest rental of all time — and have it make sense — appear to be the Dodgers and Tampa Bay.

They’re both good enough to win the World Series right now, they’d become outright favorites with Ohtani, and each has a deep and talented farm system from which to satisfy the Angels.

Now then …

There are people — including otherwise sane media types – who believe the Mariners should get involved in this rush to land Ohtani.

Not when he becomes a free agent (now THAT is a battle worth fighting), but right now in what would be a catastrophic trade.

The Mariners are a .500 team that has a terrific pitching staff but cannot hit when it matters.

Seattle is 7-17 in one-run games, and three of those wins were at the expense of Oakland — so it’s basically 4-17 against the outside world.

Even if Jerry Dipoto gave away one of his best major league pitchers, someone like Jarred Kelenic, and two or three of his best prospects, what would you have?

Yes, Ohtani could replace a pitcher in the Mariners’ rotation, and surely he’d make some impact with his bat, but …

There’s no way this team should mortgage the future, just for an outside chance (a slim one) at sneaking into a wild-card spot.

By the way, you not only would be trading for a rental player, but it would be simply for his bat.

Ohtani has been decent, but not overwhelming as a pitcher this year — he’s carrying a 3.50 ERA and the highest walk rate of his career, while all five of the current Mariners starters have ERAs of 3.66 or below.

Think about it …

You’d send a busload of talent to the Angels for the right to use Ohtani as a DH for two months?

I’m sorry, but that’s organizational malpractice.

ONE OF the arguments you’ll hear from the trade-for-Shohei crowd is that having him in town for two months would give you a head start toward winning the free agent sweepstakes at the end of the season.

That’s silly.

Ohtani knows all about Seattle, and about the Mariners.

He was clearly appreciative of the crowd chanting his name at the All-Star Game, but you don’t make a career decision on one night of pleading at T-Mobile Park.

Look, we don’t need to romance Ohtani.

He’s spent two full offseasons living in Seattle, he’s connected with the city’s large and thriving Japanese community, and he’s well aware of the Mariners’ stars from his homeland who have become legends in the Northwest.

Money?

I don’t believe his next destination will have anything to do with finances.

He’s going to get somewhere around $500-600 million, and the Mariners will pay it.

Even if someone like Mets owner Steve Cohen suddenly offered Shohei a billion, I don’t think it would move the needle an inch.

Shohei Ohtani wants to play the remainder of his baseball prime (he’s 29) in a city he enjoys, and for a team with a legitimate chance to win.

As he said during All-Star week: “It sucks to lose.”

On that front, the Mariners SHOULD have all the pieces to contend over the next few years, especially with Shohei’s bat lighting up the place.

He surely knows that the Mariners have the deepest pitching staff in the game, and one or two of those arms could be traded for MORE offensive talent if Shohei is filling a spot in the rotation.

No doubt.

The Ohtani Mariners would be routine pennant challengers.

So …

Once he’s a free agent, shove in all the chips.

But this trade nonsense, throwing away a ton of talent just to have a player visit for two months …

No, no and no!

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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.”