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Seattle Mariners: Robinson Cano PED suspension hinders playoff chances

By Bobby Mueller

DETROIT, MI - MAY 13: Robinson Cano #22 of the Seattle Mariners sits on the bench with his right hand in a cast after getting hit on the hand and leaving the game against the Detroit Tigers during the third inning at Comerica Park on May 13, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - MAY 13: Robinson Cano #22 of the Seattle Mariners sits on the bench with his right hand in a cast after getting hit on the hand and leaving the game against the Detroit Tigers during the third inning at Comerica Park on May 13, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /
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The Seattle Mariners will be without Robinson Cano for 80 games, but their playoff hopes are not totally decimated.

Despite the disappointment coming from Seattle Mariners fans, losing Robinson Cano for 80 games due to a PED suspension doesn’t put a nail in the coffin of the team’s playoff hopes. Robinson Cano was already going to miss considerable time with a recent hand injury.

Now, his PED suspension will be served while he’s on the DL for the hand injury. If he’s healthy, he’ll be back in mid-August when his 80 games have been served.

Robinson Cano released a statement about his suspension, acknowledging that he took Furosemide. Furosemide (band name Lasix) is a diuretic used to treat fluid build-up due to such conditions as heart failure, liver scarring, or kidney disease.

It is also used by bodybuilders right before competitions to get rid of that last bit of fluid so their muscles stand out as much as possible.

Furosemide is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned drugs because it has been used to help mask the use of other drugs, presumably steroids. Cano has acknowledged using it, but didn’t give a reason why he was using the drug.

Testing positive for Furosemide by itself isn’t enough to be suspended. Once the positive test happens, MLB investigates. In this case, they believe the Furosemide was being used to mask something else.

As for the playoff hopes of the Seattle Mariners, they take a hit but it’s not a deathblow. According to the projected standings at FanGraphs on Tuesday morning, the Mariners were projected to win 84 games.

They weren’t expected to keep pace with the Astros in the AL West, but they were in the mix for the second wild card spot, with the first wild card team being either the Yankees or Red Sox.

The teams in the mix for the second wild card spot are the Angels, Blue Jays and Mariners, with a few others needing a serious run to compete but not totally out of it. Of these teams, the Angels look to be the one to beat. They are projected for 89 wins. The Blue Jays are projected to win 84, the same as the Mariners (as of Tuesday).

At this point of his career, Robinson Cano is roughly a 3 WAR player. Losing him for 80 games projects to cost the Mariners a win or two. That puts a little more distance between them and the Angels, but anything can happen in baseball. If the Angels falter and the Mariners exceed expectations, they could finally end a playoff drought that goes back to 2001.

One move that the team has said they won’t do is play Dee Gordon at second base. Perhaps they’ll revisit that now that Cano will be out for longer than was originally expected. Gordon was acquired in the offseason and moved from second base to center field.

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Gordon has been one of the top-fielding second basemen in baseball the last few years. The move to center field hasn’t been great. It’s early, but Gordon currently ranks 15 out of 21 qualifying center fielders in the defense metric at Fangraphs.

He has great speed, but his inexperience shows. A move back to second base, while Cano is out, seems like a good option.

Of course, that would create a hole in the outfield and the team has already had trouble getting much production in left field out of Ben Gamel. Presumably, Guillermo Heredia would get more playing time.

He’s not much of a hitter and has rated better defensively in the corner outfield spots than in center field.

The Mariners have a few major league veteran outfielders on their Triple-A team’s roster, but neither Jayson Werth nor Kirk Nieuwenhuis project to be very good at this point in their careers. The center fielder at Triple-A is Ian Miller, who is hitting .313/.374/.357. He’s similar to Gordon, a low-power guy who runs well and steals bases.

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Losing Cano for 80 games is a tough blow, for sure. The season isn’t over, though. Seattle Mariners GM Jerry DiPoto doesn’t hesitate to make trades when he thinks they’re needed. He’s probably looking around for help right now.

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