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Talks have reportedly stalled between Robinson Cano and the Seattle Mariners after it seemed the two were on the verge of reaching a deal. Cano traveled to Seattle late Thursday night in order to meet with the team after it was reported they were willing to offer him a nine-year, $225 million contract. However, only a few hours later, it appears that talks between the two have broken off.
One reason for the break down might be due to Cano's agent, Jay-Z's excessive demands. The Mariners believed that the All-Star second baseman would accept their deal, but then Jay-Z asked for 10 years, $250 million instead. Talks may or may not start up again as Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln reportedly "exploded" when he heard the demands had gone up.
Told Cano is not yet prepared to make a decision on Seattle offer. They may need to raise their offer to secure him.
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) December 6, 2013
If Cano is still not willing to commit to the Mariners on a nine-year, $225 million contract, it's highly likely that he never had any intention of signing with them in the first place. Taking Cano out of New York never made a whole lot of sense for Jay-Z in his first contract negotiation. Their reluctance to make a decision could prove that they were simply using Seattle to get to the Yankees in order to raise the price from their seven-year, $175 million contract.
The two sides have seemingly been engaged in a game of high-speed chicken over the last few days in an effort to see which one would budge on their contract demands. The ever-stubborn Yankees may have won this round as Cano backing away from a deal with the Mariners could indicate that he's ready to accept a contract with New York. The Yankees have said that they have no intention of going to eight years or $200 million, but it seems like a small price to pay to make sure their best player stays with them for awhile. No matter the contract, 7/175, 8/200, 9/225, it all amounts to $25 million a year, so if Cano wants more years, meeting in the middle makes a lot of sense for both sides.
Spending $200+ million and losing their best player will only allow them to break even in the improvements they have made this offseason. This might all seem like a lot of money, and it is, but after signing Brian McCann and Jacoby Ellsbury, there's no reason for the Yankees to draw the line at Cano.
