Robinson Cano: Can We Move On from the Yankees Now?
By Todd Pheifer
Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Can the drama between Robinson Cano and the New York Yankees stop now? Cano is a member of the Seattle Mariners and it is time to move on.
The common sentiment is that Cano chased the money all the way to Safeco Field, and that a “true” Yankee would have sacrificed the extra years for an opportunity to retire in New York. After all, who would want to retire with the Mariners? In some ways, the baseball world seemed aghast that the Yankees would actually get outbid.
Has the world gone mad? Didn’t the Mariners read the MLB rulebook? The Yankees always get their man!
When you root for the Seattle Mariners, you get used to being treated like a farm team for the big boys at the top of the payroll list. However, there are times when it gets to be a little much.
May I just say something to the fine folks in New York for a moment? There is more to baseball than you and your sense of entitlement. I know that fans in the Big Apple feel like Major League Baseball owes them a shot at the World Series every single season, but it is possible that lesser teams could contend every so often.
Perish the thought. Certainly the Mariners can’t expect to be taken seriously by the rest of the league and the sports media.
If the Mariners overpaid for Cano’s services, it is because the Yankees and their ridiculous spending over the years has contributed to an economic imbalance that makes it almost impossible for some franchises to compete. The lack of a salary cap has strongly inhibited competitive balance in baseball.
But, I digress. To be fair there are two sides to this issue, and Cano also has to account for his words and actions. Apparently, he feels “disrespected” by the Yankees. It gets a little tiresome hearing professional athletes talk about being slighted by their teams. A franchise reportedly offers you $175 million to play a kid’s game and you feel insulted?
I would like to volunteer to be “insulted” in a similar manner. Any takers?
For us common people, the mind of the professional athlete is obviously a little difficult to understand. I guess money can’t buy respect, unless there are enough zeros. If the check is big enough, “respect” is apparently for sale.
The bottom line is that Cano is in Seattle now, and it is time to leave the Yankees era in the past. New York had the opportunity to sign him and fulfill what, according to Yankee fans, must be the dream of all baseball players. But, the Mariners showed Cano more “love” and he is happy in Seattle.
For now.