Cano: Bye New York, Hello Seattle

 

This season’s prized free agent and new member of the Seattle Mariners, second baseman Robinson Cano did the unthinkable when he Yankee’d the New York Yankees. It is almost impossible to recall a time in the history of baseball when another team outbid the excessive-paying Yankees. But after many failed signings of exceedingly long contracts with players into their late thirties and forties, it seems as if the Yankees have learned their lesson.

 

Cano had a great seven years in the Bronx compiling five All-Star appearances, five Silver Slugger awards, two Gold Glove Awards, and one World Series title. The Yankees will definitely miss what Cano brought to the game with both his offense and defense. He is a second baseman with power, a doubles machine, and made a highlight play every game with his slick glove work that made many wonder how he was so functional. Following the speculation of Cano agreeing to sign with the Mariners, a new picture appeared on social media sites with him dawning facial hair. This picture made it official for those Yankees fans hoping the rumors were false, because the Yankees have a strict policy of forbidding facial hair.

Cano decided to turn down the Yankees offer of $170 million over seven seasons to sign with the Mariners for $240 million over ten seasons. According to Cano it was not so much about the money, but rather the length of the contract that made him decide on leaving New York. He wanted this to be his final contract and not have to worry about where he was going to play after seven seasons passed. With Cano’s own experiences, he has seen older veteran players sign year-to-year contracts and not have a guaranteed future. With the signing of this contract, Cano can focus on baseball for the remainder of his career and have a comfortable future for himself and his family.

 

Baseball’s all-time hits leader, Pete Rose did not agree with Cano’s decision of leaving the Yankees stating all his agent Jay Z did was help Cano receive more vacation time because he will no longer be playing baseball in October. During the press conference in Seattle, Cano seemed confident in the direction the Mariners were going and was excited to see what the young talent around him will produce along with a couple more crucial acquisitions. The starting rotation is solid with King Felix leading the way, and perhaps the Mariners will be a surprise contender out of the West.

 

So far this offseason the Bronx Bombers have spent about $320 million dollars on only seven players, and they still need two more starting pitchers, relievers, a second baseman, and possibly a third baseman, depending on Alex Rodriguez’s suspension arbitration. Just a few years ago in 2009, the Yankees had a similar offseason when they signed Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett, and went on to beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. The only difference this season is the team is older and Sabathia is not pitcher he was four seasons ago.

 

So far this offseason, the Yankees have focused on the catching position and the outfield, all while looking for hitters who are best suited for Yankee Stadium and the short porch in right field. Brian McCann is a great addition to the team with not only his capability on the field but also his clubhouse leadership. After signing their number one priority in McCann, the Yankees went on to sign free agents Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran, leaving them with an abundance of outfielders, which already consisted of Brett Gardner, Alfonso Soriano, Vernon Wells, and Ichiro Suzuki. It seems the Yankees did not have much trouble moving on from their loss of Cano, but only time will tell how much they will miss his presence once the season is underway.

It is safe to say, April 29, 2014 will be very interesting when the visiting Seattle Mariners will play at Yankee Stadium, marking Cano’s first appearance back in the Bronx since leaving the team. We will see if the Cano signing can propel the Mariners to the top of the AL West.

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Alexa Fontanella is a freshman Sport Management Major at Drexel University, from Totowa, NJ. This winter she will be working with Drexel Athletics on marketing strategies and game day operations for the Drexel Dragons basketball team. Alexa is looking forward to participating in her first co-op next fall and is excited for such an amazing opportunity. She is a huge New York Sports fan, specifically the Yankees and the Nets.