New York Writer Fears Mariners May Go After Masahiro Tanaka

You haven’t been hearing much about the Mariners jumping in on Masahiro Tanaka. Most of the Tanaka speculation has centered around the Yankees and Dodgers. And the Cubs and Red Sox. And sort of the Rangers.

But the New York Daily News says we shouldn’t count out the Seattle club. Roger Rubin seems more than a little concerned about the Mariners swooping in and stealing Tanaka the way they stole Cano.

“The Mariners are going to be a factor,” the Rubin quotes a source as saying. “They have a following in Japan. They enjoyed what they had when Ichiro (Suzuki) was on the team. They want the chance for moves like getting Cano to pay off. And they envision (Felix) Hernandez paired with Tanaka at the top of the rotation.”

Rubin fails to mention the reports saying Seattle is totally out of money and therefore no longer in the running for any big-name free agents. Clearly he is not buying that.

Rubin saw what happened with Cano. The New York people never thought those rain-soaked depression cases from the Pacific Northwest would steal their second baseman. But Cano is up there now all decked out in hemp-based clothing, sporting a hippie beard and playing a sitar.

Don’t sleep on the Mariners. Not when it comes to bidding on free agents the Yankees also want. Not this year. Roger Rubin won’t be caught with his pants down this time, you can bet on that.

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