Report: Cano Contract So Massive, Mariners Might Be Too Strapped To Do Anything Else
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Mariners, it appears, are a one-trick pony.
According to a report from FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal, Seattle ... wait for it ... now has money issues after shocking the baseball world last week by signing Robinson Cano to a hefty 10-year, $240 million contract.
The Mariners, who went 71-91 last season and have holes all over, are having all kinds of trouble putting together cash to add complementary pieces around Cano in a lineup that struggled mightily to score runs last season, Rosenthal reported.
"We're at a point where I think we are trying to do a few more things," general manager Jack Zduriencik told Rosenthal. "I'm not sure that anything is going to be a huge splash. We have some options out there that we can either make a trade or could add another piece to it. I think that if we go for another large deal, that obviously is going to have to go above my head. And at this moment we are where we are, and we're trying to make things work with what we have."
It appears the Mariners went all in on Cano just to improve their credibility with their fans, not actually build a team that can realistically compete next season in what will almost certainly be a highly competitive AL West.
Right now, Cano, 31, is surrounded by Corey Hart, who missed all of last season due to surgeries on each of his knees, first baseman/outfielder Logan Morrison, who hit all of 6 home runs last season with the Miami Marlins, outfielder Franklin Gutierrez, who has 15 home runs and 60 RBI over his last three seasons, and infielder Willie Bloomquist, who has 17 home runs in 973 major league games.
The top two offensive players remaining on the free agent market are arguably Shin-Soo Choo, who reportedly turned down a seven-year, $140 million deal from the Yankees because they didn't offer him the $153 million that Jacoby Ellsbury received, and righty slugger Nelson Cruz, who reportedly has several suitors but also has baggage due to his 50-game suspension last season for his role in the Biogenesis scandal.
The Mariners, according to Rosenthal, could also use another starting pitcher to go alongside Felix Hernandez, and several relievers.
Rosenthal speculated that the Mariners could be players in talks for left-handed starter David Price, though Tampa Bay's asking price is likely astronomical.
Meanwhile, the Yankees have moved on from Cano, adding, among others, outfielders Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran, catcher Brian McCann, infielders Brian Roberts and Kelly Johnson, plus left-handed setup man Matt Thornton.
You May Also Be Interested In These Stories
