THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Mariners just can't seem to get past second base

Yo, Mariners fans.

I get it, I get it.

You’ve heard this before, almost word for word, when the club acquires a second baseman during the offseason — a player to solve all the woes problem at that position.

You’ve memorized the quotes, because you’ve heard them repeated year after year.

Ahhhhh.

“We’ve certainly lengthened the lineup.”

“We’re definitely going to be stronger up the middle.”

“This is a proven professional with a solid track record.”

“Sometimes, the truth is right there on a guy’s baseball card.”

“It feels good to have the spot filled with a real pro.”

Let’s call it The Curse of Robbie Cano.

The Mariners keep trying to find a solid, productive second baseman, someone who’ll add to a lineup that needs to help in the club’s drive to win the AL West.

Two years ago, the savior was Adam Frazier, who was coming off an All-Star season with the Pirates.

Frazier hit .305 with the Bucs, and then was plucked away in mid-season by the pennant-chasing Padres.

The Mariners traded for him after that 2021 season, with the advice, yes, that we should just look at the back of his baseball card.

SADLY, the card looked better than Frazier in the flesh.

To be fair, he played solidly on defense in 2022 as the Mariners broke their two-decade playoff drought.

Frazier, though, didn’t exactly carry the team on his back offensively.

He hit .238 (with an OPS of .616).

Also, despite the fact that he was an above-average runner, Frazier grounded into 15 double plays that season — and it felt like most of them came with runners in scoring position.

So.

Fans and club executives agreed that Frazier had somehow lost his mojo, no matter what his baseball card said.

Seattle boss Jerry Dipoto released Frazier after the season, and everyone just called it an $8 million loss.

Prior to last season, the Mariners replaced Frazier with another veteran with a snazzy record on his ball card.

Kolten Wong came to Seattle with a 10-year resume that included a batting average just a tick over .250.

Once again, we seemed to have found the “pro’s pro,” a solid second baseman in St. Louis and Milwaukee.

Unfortunately, Wong was just plain awful.

He made some errors and baserunning goofs that would have embarrassed a Little Leaguer, along with hitting .165 (OPS was .468).

Dipoto probably should have been suspicious, since earlier in his career, Wong came on as a pinch-runner in the ninth inning of a World Series game — and got picked off to end it.

Ugh.

This time, the Mariners cut their losses early, releasing Wong on Aug. 5 last year.

NOW, WE come to the current offseason.

The Mariners waited and waited and waited to do anything about second base (or third), which was vacated when they traded Eugenio Suarez.

Fans have lost patience by this time, which is a little unfair — considering that the organization has built a terrific young pitching staff, great strength up the middle with Cal Raleigh, J.P. Crawford and Julio Rodriguez, and a booming farm system.

Most of the unhappiness stems from ownership refusing to spend any money, but there’s also the bizarre failures at second base.

Honestly, it DOES look poor.

How can you not find a decent second baseman?

There are some candidates in the minors, with Ryan Bliss probably the closest to The Show after tearing up both Double-A and Triple-A last season (combined .304 batting average, 23 homers, 86 RBI, 55 stolen bases).

Bliss can play second, short and third, but Dipoto has been determined to land a bona fide second baseman to end that losing streak at the position.

Time for another deal.

The Mariners gave up leverage reliever Justin Topa and No. 3 minor league prospect Gabriel Gonzalez to Minnesota for an actual, proven big league second baseman.

Jorge Polanco.

And you know what?

I’m going out on a limb to say that, this time, they DID land a decent fish.

Polanco plays every day, he handles the position, and offensively he puts the bat on the ball.

Last season, he hit .255 with a .789 OPS and 14 homers.

It was no fluke, since his career numbers match 2023 almost exactly: BA .269, OPS .780.

Yes.

We might actually get through a season without mumbling about the nonsense at second base.

Seriously.

What fun.

Email: [email protected]

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.”