Analyzing Robinson Cano’s Mariners Deal
All-Star 2B Robinson Cano signed a $240 million, 10 year deal with the Seattle Mariners earlier today.
Cano, who is leaving the New York Yankees, is 31 years old and has been selected for 5 all star games.
To be perfectly straight, I think that this deal is a COMPLETE win for Robinson Cano and both a win and a lose for the Seattle Mariners.
Check out the Mariners lineup after the Cano signing:
C: Mike Zunino
1B: Justin Smoak
2B: Robinson Cano
SS: Brad Miller
3B: Kyle Seager
OF: Dustin Ackley
OF: Michael Saunders
OF: Abraham Almonte
DH: Jesus Montero
SP: Felix Hernandez
SP: Hisashi Iwakuma
SP: Taijuan Walker
SP: Erasmo Ramirez
SP: James Paxton
That’s not a terrible team… Cano is a superstar, and Smoak, Seager, Ackley, Montero, and Saunders are pretty good players. The rest of the lineup is pretty weak, but not awful. And the pitching rotation is headed by two stars in Felix and Iwakuma, and one of the top pitching prospects in the league, in Taijuan Walker.
With the A’s, Rangers, and Angels in their division, it’s highly unlikely that the M’s win the AL West. But, they could make a decent run at the wild card, if, and only if, Cano, King Felix, and Iwakuma can lead this otherwise mediocre team. With a very good top of the rotation and a slightly above average starting lineup, the team is just that, slightly above average, but nothing more.
With Cano signing, though, many stars may want to join the M’s. They’re supposedly trying to put a trade package together for either Matt Kemp or David Price, and they’re making a run at free agent OF Nelson Cruz.
If the Mariners land at least one of those big names, their team will be much improved, and will have an even bigger shot at the playoffs.
What I do want to say about the deal, though, is that though Cano is an excellent player and will improve this team A LOT, he is 31 years old and by the end of his contract, he’ll be 41. He’ll likely be out of his prime by the age of 37, very likely, though he’ll be an effective player in the MLB up until his retirement. This is why I say the Mariners got a win and a lose in this deal, because though he’ll improve their team a lot, the contract may be too long and/or expensive in the end.
We’ll see what happens for Robinson Cano and the Seattle Mariners in the future…
UPDATE 12-11-13: 5:56 PM
The Mariners signed Corey Hart and traded for Logan Morrison earlier today. Due to these changes, the expected lineup is now as follows:
C: Mike Zunino
1B: Justin Smoak
2B: Robinson Cano
SS: Brad Miller
3B: Kyle Seager
OF: Corey Hart
OF: Michael Saunders
OF: Logan Morrison
DH: Jesus Montero
SP: Felix Hernandez
SP: Hisashi Iwakuma
SP: Taijuan Walker
SP: Erasmo Ramirez
SP: James Paxton
Again, this is looking even more so like the Mariners are building a winner… If they can ship out Dustin Ackley or Justin Smoak for a decent return, the team would be even more solid.
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