When Robinson Cano first asked for a $300 million deal from the New York Yankees, no one believed even for a second that Cano's agents would get that amount. Even when it was lowered to $250 million across a decade, it never seemed likely the Yankees would give that money with so much already on the payroll. The team was already responsible for four of the eleven highest paid players in the league.
So when the Seattle Mariners reeled in Cano and Jay-Z for ten years and $240 million, it sent a message to the fans that the Mariners were going to make a huge free agent splash. Which would be a fine decision … were the Mariners in competing shape.
Look at the numbers. The Mariners lost 91 games last season, and finished twenty-five games out of first place in the American League West. The team was 22nd in the majors in runs, 28th in batting average. The team ERA was 4.31, fifth worst in baseball.
The personnel needs help. Former top prospect Dustin Ackley, the player that Cano is replacing at second base through a brief stint by Nick Franklin, took a large step backwards in his second season with the team. Fellow top prospect Mike Zunino hit just .214 in replacement for Jesus Montero behind the plate who was lost due to injury and who will likely not be a catcher again after his atrocious fielding. Montero allowed 23 of 24 runners to steal on him, the worst percentage in the league. While Cano, when at his peak, is a top-tier hitter, the Mariners would need quite a bit more than just him if they want to overtake Oakland and Texas.
What the Mariners were trying to do to this point is what has worked so well for teams like the Tampa Bay Rays: rebuild through the draft, take your lumps, keep salaries low, and move veterans for prospects. The Cano signing takes that plan for runs it through the wringer. Cano now accounts for over a quarter of all the money currently being paid to the Mariners. While this would be an acceptable move if this was the player to take Seattle over the top and into the promised land, the Mariners cannot see the top from where they currently are, let alone get over it.
When former manager Eric Wedge blasted management in an interview with the Seattle Sun-Times, he called the management "dysfunctional". It honestly seems like Wedge has a case. Unless all of the Mariners prospects, including pitchers Taijuan Walker and James Paxton and shortstop Brad Miller, perform at an exceptional level next season, the Mariners appear to be a .500 team. If the Mariners want to go for broke, they would have to break the bank wide open, something acting CEO Howard Lincoln has never been a proponent of.
What it leaves is a team in the middle of the road, and the Cano signed reeks of cynicism. Will Cano just be a bat to put fans in the seats to watch mediocre baseball? Will Cano be moved to a team like the Red Sox or Dodgers two years into his contract when the Mariners do not perform to expectations? It seems like a panic signing, and one that may very well backfire badly for the Mariners. At best, they get an All-Star hitter on a .500 team. At worst, they are stuck with an absurd contract until Cano is 40.
Was the signing worth it? Fans can only hope that something else happens to make it worth the while.
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