The Mariners have reached out to the Mets and Yankees about trading 2B Robinson Cano, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Rosenthal cites a source who says in order for the Mets to consider biting on Cano, the Mariners would need to include significant money in a potential deal and send a top prospect to the Mets.
According to Rosenthal, the Yanks and Mariners briefly discussed a Cano-Jacoby Ellsbury deal earlier this offseason -- with the Yankees wanting "significant" money included going back to them. But those talks never got serious.
The 36-year-old Cano, who missed nearly half of the 2018 season due to an 80-game suspension stemming from a violation of the MLB joint drug policy, has five years and $120 million left on his contract.
Cano hit .303/.374/.481 with 10 homers and 22 doubles in 80 games, while getting time at second base (69 games), first base (14 games), third base (two games), and DH (two games).
Overall during his career, Cano -- who was an All-Star as recently as 2017 -- has hit .304/.355/.493 with 311 homers in 14 seasons with the Yankees and Mariners.
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Cano is still productive -- he had an .845 OPS in 2018 and was an above average fielder at second base. But the stain of his PED suspension (and concerns about lingering effects) along with the insane amount of money he's owed, his age, and poor positional fit should prevent Cano from coming to Queens.
Even if the Mariners paid down a large chunk of the money owed to Cano, it would still be a mismatch.
The Mets can't offer Cano the chance to DH, first base has been earmarked for Peter Alonso (and Jay Bruce and Yoenis Cespedes are under contract for multiple years and also may get time there), and Jeff McNeil is penciled in at second base.
On a planet where the Mariners pay down the majority of Cano's deal and offer the Mets one of their best prospects (as Rosenthal's source suggests could pique the Mets' interest), maybe it would make sense for this to be a consideration. But even then, it's hard to see it happening.