The Mariners have reportedly been in hot pursuit of Robinson Cano and there is speculation that they may have already topped the Yankees' offer for the All-Star second baseman. According to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes, Seattle has let Cano know that they are willing to give him a ten-year deal worth $230-$240 million. That figure far exceeds the Yankees' maximum offer so far of $170 million over seven years.
Up until now, the Yankees have had no real reason to go beyond the number they put forth for Cano because it seemed like the market for him was slow to develop. The last thing the Yankees needed to do was outbid themselves for Cano's services for the next decade if no other team was going to come forward offering him something closer to the price he'd personally settled on. Now that the Mariners seem very much in the mix, the Yankees will have to decide if they can keep Cano at a price they can live, which may or may not involve directly outbidding the Mariners.
Cano's preference has reportedly been to stay in New York, which could mean that a deal close but not exceeding what the Mariners are offering would convince Cano to stay. The team has been adamant about not going to eight years or to $200 million, but it seems like they may have to do both, at least, to convince Cano to stay. They may very well decide that the price is just too high and look to one of their backup plans like Shin-Soo Choo instead.
Is keeping Cano worth possibly having to meet or exceed the Mariners' reported offer, or could their large proposal spell the end of Cano in New York?
UPDATE:
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, 2013So either something got lost in translation as word escaped into the public or Cano's people might be trying to make everyone believe he got a better offer than he actually did. This could then force the Yankees to go higher. He's probably meeting with them in order to convince them to up the dollar amount. Cano wants to play in New York and a deal not even over $200 million is not going to convince him to go to Seattle.
