Robinson Cano is reportedly not happy playing in Seattle
Well, this ought to be fun. Robinson Cano, the man who signed a 10-year, $240 million deal with the Seattle Mariners just two years ago, is reportedly "not happy in Seattle."
That quote comes from an article by John Harper of the New York Daily News. The piece mostly focuses on former Mariners third base coach Rich Donnelly supporting Cano after Andy Van Slyke ripped him to shreds recently.
The article is mostly friendly to Cano. Donnelly says he was shocked to hear Van Slyke's criticism, and praises Cano for being able to turn in a productive second half of the season. Donnelly explains that Cano was dealing with a number of injuries throughout the year, but refused to sit on the bench because he wanted to play so bad.
But then, after all that, there's one line buried in there about Cano being unhappy with his current situation:
So maybe Van Slyke is just so bitter about being fired that he needed someone to blame. But even if Cano has had the best intentions as a Mariner, one long-time friend who spoke to him recently says the second baseman is not happy in Seattle, especially with a new regime in charge there now, and that he’d love to somehow find his way back to New York.
If true, that's pretty damning. It's also somewhat useless, as both the Mariners and Cano can't really do all that much about it.
Cano is still owed a whopping $192 million over the next eight seasons. He's now 33, and coming off the worst season of his career since 2008. Even if Cano could force the issue, the Mariners would have to eat a significant amount of money in any deal to send him elsewhere. It's just not going to happen.
Here's what will happen: Cano will meet with the new regime and both sides will make a big deal about being happy. He'll continue to play for the Mariners next season, and will probably be better than he was in 2015. If Cano produces, no one will remember this story a few months from now.
That's pretty much the only option here. Both sides are stuck with each other moving forward due to the circumstances. If Cano truly is unhappy, there's not much he can do about it other than produce on the field. Both he, and the Mariners, will benefit from that.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
