As the Seattle Mariners continue their offseason of change under general manager Jerry Dipoto, the possible end of Robinson Cano’s tenure in the Pacific Northwest has seemingly begun.
The eight-time All-Star has suddenly become a burden on the Mariners’ books.
At age 36, Cano is coming off a 2018 season in which he missed 80 games for violating Major League Baseball’s drug policy, though he still batted .303 with 10 home runs and 50 RBI in just 310 at-bats.
The aging star’s production would likely be welcomed back in Seattle if it wasn’t for his albatross of a deal. Cano is signed through the 2023 season where he is owed $120 million.
After trading away star pitcher James Paxton and starting pitcher Mike Zunino, the Mariners don’t look poised to mount much of a challenge in the AL West, which is still likely to be dominated by the Houston Astros for the foreseeable future. It makes Cano’s contract an expendable one in order to free up some space to rebuild the team on more of a budget.
Dipoto looks to be plenty aggressive in trying to unload the second baseman’s contract as the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported on Monday morning that the Mariners have reached out to both the New York Mets and Yankees to try and work out a deal for Cano.
At least for now, it doesn’t look like anything significant will come out of Dipoto’s efforts.
The Yankees countered by offering up a big contract of their own in return, veteran outfielder Jacob Ellsbury, in a swap, per Rosenthal. They were also looking for “significant” cash to pay down Cano’s deal.
Cano, who had spent nine seasons with the Yankees before signing a massive 10-year deal with the Mariners in 2014, would likely be seen as a first-base option more than anything in the Yankees plans considering Gleyber Torres is the second baseman of the future. The Yankees have been linked with the likes of Bryce Harper and Paul Goldschmidt to take over at first base this winter.
As for the Mets, it would be a puzzling move by new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen to take on a big-time contract in the twilight of his career. The Mets already have some promising younger players who will make a strong push to start come next season. Second baseman Jeff McNeil was the team’s best hitter during the second half of the season while first base prospect Peter Alonso is set to battle for starting duties after a monster 2018 down in the minors.
