It appears the honeymoon phase between Robinson Cano and the Seattle Mariners may be wearing off. Sources, including Michael Kay on his radio show on Monday, are speculating that Cano, just a year and a few months into his mega contract with the M’s, is unhappy in Seattle. The reasons include the lack of a Dominican population in Seattle, which is about as far away from the DR as you can get in the continental US. Because of their remote location the Mariners have longer travel than any team in the league (their closest road trip is still 2 hours by plane). It also appears Cano may feel used by Jay-Z; that Jay-Z needed Cano to make a splash to put Roc Nation on the sports management map. (Hey Jay-Z, I thought you were a Yankees fan…thanks a lot dude).
Oh cry me a river, Robbie. You are a year-plus into a 10 year deal and just now realizing what we all knew… Seattle is not New York. The Mariners are not the Yankees.
Last year, his first in Seattle, Cano had a good year and finished 5th in MVP voting. He was all smiles every time someone asked how he liked Seattle. The Yankees apparently “disrespected” him because they did not want to go to 10 years on his contract. From a business perspective I totally understand why Cano took the most money on the table. I’ll never blame a player for taking the money. Yes, we see guys take hometown discounts occasionally, but its rare. In taking the money though, Cano missed out on an opportunity to stay with the most famous team in sports that plays in a ballpark that is tailor-made for him. Now he’s in a park that is gigantic (don’t tell Nelson Cruz that though) on a team that very few people care about. He has become invisible. He was on his way to the Hall of Fame and now is largely unnoticed. I’m sure Seattle is a great place if you want to get stoned and listen to Pearl Jam, but Seattle will never be New York and the Mariners will never be the Yankees. Apparently Robbie has finally realized that. Oh, and it probably doesn’t help that he’s having the worst statistical season of his career… but I guess that’s a chicken or the egg scenario, no?
Whatever the reasons, whether Cano is unhappy or not, he realizes he made a mistake leaving the Yankees. I would venture to guess if Cano had a do-over he would have stayed in New York. And that’s something he’s going to have to live with for the rest of his life.
