Seattle Mariners Offering Robinson Cano $240 Million
By Paul Novak
Andrew Mills/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports
UPDATE: More news is coming out now from more reliable sources. Ken Rosenthal just tweeted the following:
Sources: Cano asked #Mariner for 240/10. M's made offer, but not over 200. Cano on plane to Seattle. Meeting with club officials later today
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 5, 2013
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We all knew the Mariners would have to overpay for premier free agent talent. What we weren’t quite sure of, was exactly how much extra they would have to spend.
With the Yankees reportedly limiting their allotted cash for their second baseman, Robinson Cano, at $170 million, it appears the Mariners are willing to significantly top the Bronx Bombers offer in both years and dollar amount.
ESPN Deportes reporter Enrique Rojas (Spanish) is reporting that Cano flew to Seattle to meet with team representatives today and that they informed him they are willing to spend upwards of $240M on a 10-year deal.
If the All Star second baseman were to come to the Mariners on such a deal, it would mark the first time the Mariners had two $20M+ players at the same time. Currently, only Felix Hernandez is making double digits in yearly salary. Jack Zduriencik, the Mariners GM recently commented that the Mariners young corps would need to be complimented with top free agents.
Not only are the Mariners heavily linked to Cano and fellow free agent Matt Garza (link), but are also being mentioned in possible trades for Matt Kemp (link) and David Price (link).