6:45pm: The Mariners are "about to offer" Cano a nine-year, $225MM deal, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports. Heyman indicates that Seattle is bidding $225MM to stay $50MM ahead of the Yankees, whose don't want to top $175MM.
5:15pm: Cano asked the Mariners for a ten-year, $240MM deal, but the Mariners' offer did not exceed $200MM, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweets.
3:21pm: Robinson Cano flew to Seattle to meet with the Mariners in person today, and the team has informed him that they are willing to pay as much as $230-240MM on a ten-year contract, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com (Spanish link).
It was reported yesterday that the Mariners may have topped the Yankees' offer of roughly $170MM, but if true, the reported $230-240MM offer would shatter the Yankees' highest bid. The Mariners met with Cano's representatives on Tuesday, according to multiple reports, but this appears to be the first instance of Cano traveling to Seattle to meet with club officials.
Cano and agents Jay-Z of Roc Nation Sports and Brodie Van Wagenen of CAA are said to be seeking something in the neighborhood of $252MM. The Yankees reportedly will not offer Cano more than $200MM, and in the wake of that news, the offense-starved Mariners appear to have emerged as major players in the Cano sweepstakes. Last month, MLBTR's Steve Adams predicted that Cano would receive a nine-year, $234MM deal.
i know, and i wasn’t disagreeing. but we can’t just ignore the fact that none of them have won squat either. and calling them “consistent” and “right now” is rather convenient. sure they’re emerging as contenders now. but they wouldn’t have to emerge if they weren’t in the stink hole for years. i hate the yankees as much as the next guy, but my hatred for them is completely out of respect for what they’ve accomplished. if we’re going to measure anybody for success and consistency, you look nowhere else but right at the yankees. just look at the last few decades and count up the number of years of contention and WS rings, and nobody else compares. it’s not even close. so his point about this argument of being on the verge of contention from small/mid-market teams is all the same. the yankees didn’t have to emerge to consistent contenders because they are the only team that has been consistently contending. and they didn’t just do all of that by just building from within. everybody thus far has just been playing catch up.
The Yankees started their string of success, you’ll note, with a core of Bernie, Posada, Pettitte, Jeter, and Mariano, then supplemented said core with trades for Tino Martinez, Paul O’Neill, Chuck Knoblauch, David Justice and others, and some free agent signings of Clemens, Mussina, Giambi, etc. Up until 2007 or so much of their success was homegrown guys being re-upped and acquiring guys via trades. Hideki, Sheffield, Damon in the mid-2000s were free agent acquisitions in the mid 2000s but when the Yankees were at their most dangerous from ’96-’03 is when their homegrown talent peaked and they augmented said talent with pieces. Even 2009 had a base of Cano, Jeter, Mo, Posada, Pettitte of home grown guys when they added Teixeira, Sabathia, and Burnett to compliment them, and traded for Swisher and (previously, obviously) having acquired A-Rod via trade and Damon/Hideki via free agency. The Yankees built a core and then put pieces around it. That core is dying right now, and if the Yankees didn’t have the resources to replenish their team with Ellsbury and McCann and others, you’d see them entering a period of futility associated with the decline of core players. See: Philadelphia.
and i don’t disagree with any of that. but the difference between them and everyone else is they’re the only ones that have maintained their success. let’s face it, we can knock them all we want for missing the playoffs, but really how often has that happened? we’re being quick to give kudos to these teams for being competitive now, yet the yankees have by far been the most competitive. they miss a couple of post seasons and we’re quick to write them off. they’ve had the most success when they build around their homegrown talent, but when they didn’t have it, they acquired it. either way no other team has been as successful no matter how they’ve built their teams.
The most success when they have? They’ve never had to deal with a catching hole or a shortstop hole during their run of success- two reasons they missed the playoffs in 2013. Also, where did I penalize the Yankees? Why are we even talking about the Yankees? I respect them as an organization, mainly because of the Core Five. I listed a bunch of organizations that have been successful with the idea of “a ton of young talent and should be contending within the next few years” working out, you listed World Series wins, I listed how Tampa and Texas have gotten to the crapshoot of all crapshoots, and how Cleveland, Baltimore, and Atlanta have had just a single go-round with their current cores, and you countered with the Yankees. Several of these points you’ve made simply don’t gel with the ones I’ve made. I think we’re in agreement here and just beating around the bush aimlessly.
When the numbers start getting that big, the money really becomes irrelevant. I think what Cano needs to really look at is the kind of legacy he hopes to leave behind. How badly does he want to be a life-long Yankee?
The good thing about going to Seattle is that he pretty much becomes the face of the franchise there. Yeah you could argue that he pretty much already is the iconic Yankee right now, but will that spotlight last as the years go by? New York is notorious for bringing in huge super star contracts, so there’s no doubt that he’ll have to share some of that fame with whoever they sign in the next few years. If Seattle throws down this kind of money on Cano, it’s a pretty safe bet they won’t be signing any more enormous contracts for the near future.
I’m a fan of balance, so I really hope he does sign with a more mid-market team like the Mariners.
The Mariners.
But it’s still not hitter friendly.
It ranks right after Yankee Stadium in homer rate.
I might believe 3. 2, no way. There’s just not enough talent in that everyday line-up.
I will rather pay cano 8/205 than paying Ells 7/153
So would I, except Cano wants more than 8 years and wants about $250 mil now
You sound like Ruben Amaro :/
I won’t be surprised at all if the Mariners end up over .500 this year. They got a glut of second basemen- probably should trade one though.
Playoffs are a crapshoot, though I think the increased quality of pitching in the postseason does skew things towards contact hitters.
Can’t say there’s no mystery team. That’s what makes it a mystery team; nobody knows about it!
But you’re right, this seems like it’s Mariners, Yankees, or sign somewhere around Super Bowl time.
Signed Yankee fans too (for the amount of years and $ he’s asking)
Also, I don’t recall the Yankees ever signing or taking away any Mariner player for a boatload. Can you name 1? (Can’t include A-Rod. 1 – He was traded for from a different team, and 2- When he became a free agent again after the opt out, he was on the Yanks).
I don’t believe this would be a good signing for the Mariners. Unless they somehow get Price in a trade, this team will not be able to compete with the teams in the West even with Cano. It will also hurt the Yankees in a big way. If Cano leaves, a long with Tanaka possibly not being posted, the uncertainty with Kuroda, Pettite and Mo retiring, and Granderson out of town, this team will most likely be your 3-4 in the AL East as they are no better than they were last year even with their signings. The uncertainty with Texiera and Arod to go a long with a ss turning 40 in June, it’s tough to say how this team will do. What they need most is starting and relief pitching. Until they get that, than this team is no better than TB and Boston.
Mark Feinsand (NY Daily News): Source: Talks between Robinson Cano and
Mariners broke off after Jay Z’s excessive demands. Looks like Cano will
NOT sign w/ Seattle.
Yes. I believe he would have been more popular had he started his career in NY. Do you think Cano would be as popular had he played in Cleveland? Do you think Puig would be an overnight sensation had he played in Milwaukee? Players in NY and LA get more exposure and notoriety because they are in huge markets with large amounts of national/international press. It’s pretty simple.
but thats just it…walker would be the main piece the rays would be getting back with prospects. It makes no sense. I would get the power bat they need. otherwise they are back to square one with pitching but no one to protect longoria…sure pitching is always good….but when the rays dont really need it..they should focus on their offense.
That’s why stated $300MM would be his STARTING price tag.