For the second time this year, the Yankees must bid farewell to a talented player. Robinson Cano reportedly signed a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Seattle Mariners, completely outstripping his now concluded deal with his former employers, the New York Yankees. Cano signed with the Yankees for four years in 2008, earning $30 million. He will now earn about $24 million per year, a significant increase, which begs the question of his integrity in this deal.
Cano was signed to the Yankees in 2001 at age 19 and rose through their farm system during the early 2000s. He was promoted to the Triple A team, the Columbus Clippers, in 2004 and was signed to the Major Leagues in 2005. After years at second base, he made his first appearance as shortstop in 2013, replacing Derek Jeter in his coveted spot due to Jeter’s ankle injury.
Cano signed with Jay Z’s sports representation agency, Roc Nation, in April of this year. Cano released a statement expressing his belief that the pairing between Roc Nation and Creative Artists Industry would best help his accomplish his long-term goals in the industry. The implications of this statement were unclear though Cano voiced his intent to help the Yankees succeed in the coming seasons. This did not pan out as expected. For only the second time in 19 years, the Yankees failed to reach the playoffs.
It was doubtful the Yankees would offer Cano a contract as expensive as Alex Rodriguez’s, whose $275 million remains the richest in baseball history. Cano’s contract with the Yankees expired in October but it still came as a disappointing shock to many Yankees fans that the favored player decided to sign with a different team.
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