Jay-Z landed Robinson Cano the biggest contract he could, just like he promised. Unfortunately, it was not with the Yankees and not even in New York. After much talk, Cano came to terms with the Seattle Mariners for a ten year/$240 million deal. Last night, many thought the deal was dead after reports came out that Mr. Carter raised the price of the second baseman to $252 million, the same amount Alex Rodriguez was given by the Texas Rangers.
Despite being one of the last homegrown talents in pinstripes, Cano made it clear he was more interested in a big pay day. Many expected the Yankees, who are notorious for overpaying players, would rise to the occasion and pay the man. Their maximum payday was estimated at around $170 million, about $70 million below what he got from Seattle. Cano has already won a ring with New York and does not seem too worried about winning another or not. This will likely not be the last big move by the Mariners.
Although I completely get his going where the money is, Cano had an opportunity to stay in N.Y. and together with all his endorsements here in this huge market, plus an almost guaranteed Yankees legacy awaiting him when he retired, he opted to give that all up to play with MLB’s only franchise to never appear in a World Series. Safeco is a horrible park to hit in. Even with them bringing the fences in last season their total team run totals stayed the same.
We’ll be fine and save a quarter of a billion dollars as well. I’m glad that management drew a line in the sand and decided not to cave into Robbie’s outrageous demands. Yankees need pitching. Hopefully the Steinbrenners will put that Cano cash to good use on the mound.