THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Giants pulled trigger on deal M's could have done ... and better

Yo, let’s have some fun getting to the business end of things today. 

Let’s do our intro in the famous game-show style of “Jeopardy.” 

That’ll wake everyone up. 

You know the rules, surely. 

Ready? 

ANSWER: The San Francisco Giants just completed a trade for former Boston designated hitter Rafael Devers. 

The Mariners ALSO needed Devers desperately, plus could offer a better trade package of young players to the Red Sox. 

Seattle owner John Stanton, though, has routinely been compared to this character when putting together a team payroll.  

QUESTION: Who is Scrooge McDuck? 

LOL. 

Yeah, you knew it, of course. 

Things will get tougher in the “Arts and Literature” category. 

Same with “Poisonous Australian Reptiles.” 

But anything that has to do with holes in the Mariners lineup, we’ve all got that one covered. 

It’s always about the fact that Stanton’s wallet is covered in cobwebs. 

Stanton and his fellow travelers inside Mariners ownership can no doubt produce all sorts of reasons why Devers isn’t worth the long-term cash. 

Sure, the Seattle gurus can give you some yada-yada about Devers being 28, and with nine years and $266 million left on his contract to begin this season. 

But. 

THIS IS one of those situations where the money almost certainly would be worth the return — especially for a Mariners team that’s crying out for one big bat to change the face of a lineup that’s not quite scary enough. 

Here's something to chew on: Devers will get roughly $29 million per season, which is a fortune to us … but not to game-changing bashers in baseball’s current financial landscape. 

Devers’ yearly income, in fact, is just a pit stop up the road from the $27 million the Mariners wasted this year on Mitch Haninger and Mitch Garver. 

Let’s talk talent. 

Devers, with that World Series ring already in his pocket, falls into the same general offensive category as a thumper like Juan Soto. 

Look up their numbers if you don’t believe me. 

Soto, however, is enjoying a new contract with the Mets that earns him $765 million over 15 years — and picked up a $75 million bonus before he’d even put pine tar on a bat. 

If we use elite hitters getting big money as our reference point here, Devers is a steal when you appreciate his productivity and consistency. 

Here is a quick rundown on the trade from CBS Sports, and I’m using this summary for a reason we’ll touch on shortly. 

“Devers joins his next club having hit .272/.401/.504 (152 OPS+) with 15 home runs in his first 73 games this season. His OPS+ would represent a new career best if he sustains it the rest of the way.  

“Additionally, his contributions have been worth an estimated 2.3 Wins Above Replacement, according to calculations housed at Baseball Reference — that despite him not logging a single inning on defense. “Devers, of course, had a falling out with the Red Sox over that matter.” 

AH, YES, the falling out. 

The short version is that Devers has been the Sox’ longtime third baseman. 

This year, though, Boston signed free agent Alex Bregman to play third, and made Devers the full-time DH. 

That didn’t sit well, and things got worse when first baseman Tristan Casas was injured. 

Devers was asked about that manning that spot, and things began tumbling apart between the Sox and the face of their franchise. 

Ironically, Bregman also has been hurt since then, and Devers quickly popped up to say something like: “Don’t bother asking.” 

The Red Sox administration has taken all of this as something less than a team-first attitude from their star, and decided it was time to part ways. 

The actual trade was a shock — perhaps because the Giants got a generational hitter for such a blah package — but other teams knew something might happen. 

Sources in Boston insist that the Blue Jays, Padres and Braves had been in touch to see if Devers was available for the right price. 

Mariners? 

Nope. 

That hurts like hell in Seattle, where an army of young talent could have been offered to Boston. 

Stanton would have inherited Devers’ contract, though, so forget it. 

Who really cares about the playoffs, anyhow? 

Email: [email protected] 

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and 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.”