MLB Rumors: Cano to Mariners Tests Phrase “Money Talks”
By Todd Pheifer
Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Realistically, there is not a good reason for Robinson Cano to sign with the Seattle Mariners. Of course, there is that oft-used phrase, “money talks.” In other words, the question is whether there is a dollar amount that will sweep all other questions off the table.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports wrote a great piece detailing the reasons that it makes sense for Cano to stay with the New York Yankees. To make a long story short, Heyman basically suggests that Cano would be leaving behind everything that he loves to play for a bad team in a faraway ballpark that has been unkind to hitters in recent years.
Put another way, it is assumed that if Cano signs with the Mariners he would do so because he wants the big paycheck, not because he wants to win.
If the Mariners do end up enticing Cano, both the Mariners and the talented second baseman will be critiqued. Cano will be critiqued for his money grab. Seattle will be critiqued for their desperate strategy of overpaying a player to come begrudgingly to Safeco Field. Capitalism and greed run amok.
Maybe the Mariners have a bigger plan than we know. Could Cano be the first piece of an epic shopping spree and a madcap string of trades that transforms the lineup into an unrecognizable collection of marquee veterans? That is theoretically possible, but it still seems rather unlikely.
We are still talking about the Mariners.
The longer this goes, the more fans have to wonder if this is actually going to happen. With Prince Fielder and Josh Hamilton, the offers (if there were any) stayed rather mysterious. We still don’t know very much for sure about this negotiation, but it seems like there are more signs pointing to actual pursuit of Cano.
Hang onto your hats, fans. This could get a little crazy, as if it hasn’t already.