Trout to Kiermaier: The richest signing of all 30 MLB teams
By Bill Felber
12. Seattle Mariners
Steal players from the deep-pocketed Yankees at your own peril.
The Mariners learned this lesson prior to the 2014 season when they made a successful run at free agent infielder Robinson Cano. To lure the long-time Yankee west, Seattle offered a franchise record $240 million across 10 years, through 2023.
It didn’t take long for the Mariners to regret their liberality. Cano hit well enough, averaging .296 with an .826 OPS. But he failed to lift the Mariners into postseason contention so, in December of 2018, they traded him to the Mets.
Suspended for all of the 2021 season for a PED violation, Cano puttered around with the Mets, Padres and Braves before being released.
Based on AAV, Cano’s deal does take a back seat in Mariners history. The richest in that category is pitcher Felix Hernandez, who prior to the 2013 season signed for $175 million over seven seasons. That works out to $25 million per season, about $1 million per season more than Cano’s 10 year, $240 million deal.
The Mariners got three good seasons and one decent one out of that seven-year Hernandez contract. Between 2013 and 2015 he was 45-25 with a 2.86 ERA in 642 innings. But from 2017 through 2019, he produced only a 15-27 record and a 5.42 ERA in just 314 innings.