THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Just who are these guys in Mariner uniforms?

Go ahead and try to understand.

The Mariners have reached the stage where you wonder what the hell is going on.

You can run through the lineup, then the pitching staff — and honestly, you’ll get a headache considering Seattle a far-and-away favorite to win the American League West.

That’s still reality in the Vegas betting business, though.

Who else is a hot ticket?

If you want to bet your yacht on the Sacramento A’s just breezing to the division title, be my guest.

On the other hand: Seattle’s bullpen, a group believed as deep and deadly as anyone’s coming out of spring training, is in the trade market.

The Mariners are actually pondering a deal for 38-year-old Aroldis Chapman.

Yes, THAT Aroldis Chapman.

Once the world is all sorted out, though, there really are just two issues that need to be addressed if we’re going to get some meaningful clues about the Mariners.

FIRST: There are so many injuries — you know, sore this and aching that, that the squad swept by Kansas City at T-Mobile Park last week was barely recognizable.

M’s boss Jerry Dipoto has been shuttling players to Tacoma and back so quickly that it’s almost impossible to keep track of the roster.

Remember the team that faced off against Cleveland on opening day?

OK, here are the players who are still in the same positions, who haven’t been hurt for a week or two, who haven’t needed to rehab in the minor leagues, who aren’t on the IL right now.

We’ll get to the pitchers in a sec, but for now, here are your position players who have been healthy and shown up for work every day: Cole Young (second base), Randy Arozarena (left field).

That’s it.

Oh, there have been some sort-term ailments (Julio Rodriguez) and so forth, but the bottom line is that the M’s have been hurting quite a bit.

As for the pitchers, Emerson Hancock started out as the No. 6 starter and now he’s an ace; George Kirby has become SP1.

Look at the bullpen: Andres Munoz has had some nightmare outings but he’s still the closer.

Let’s call that “ninth inning by default.”

Matt Brash, who hasn’t given up a run in 14 appearances (the best in MLB among pitchers with 10 or more times on the mound), is now on the IL with a strain in his side — and nobody knows when he might be back.

What’s hilarious is that during the first few weeks of the season, there was genuine fear that trade acquisition Jose A. Ferrer might be a wasted uniform.

Now?

He’s pretty close to getting the ball with a game on the line.

Remember that I mentioned there were two situations involved here.

The M’s are beat up.

Yep.

But what about that other issue, the one that can turn everything on its head?

SECOND: Baseball seasons are longer than the Bataan Death March.

You can be circling the drain for a month.

Two months.

The entire summer.

Endless seasons of injuries and slumps can seem to ruin a year.

But …

You can STILL own that big trophy when it’s all over.

Surely, you’ve heard about the Washington Nationals, who started the 2019 season by gurgling their way to 14 games under .500.

Fans gave up.

That was a bad idea, since the Nats roared back to win the World Series.

There is a hell of a lot of time in a baseball marathon. Teams fall to pieces when there’s no reason for it.

On the other side of things, hopeless clubs just explode when nobody sees it coming.

Or.

In the case of a team like the Mariners, bona fide talent might finally come to the surface.

It’s a strange animal, baseball.

If there’s one thing we know about this crazy game, it’s that …

Yep.

Anything can happen.

Even to the Mariners.

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.”