Mariners got Cano by showing him the money Yankees wouldn't

There was a time, after the 1998 season, when another homegrown star, Bernie Williams, was ready to leave the Yankees for the Red Sox and a $90 million deal.

Tom Verducci | Dec 6, 2013

Mariners got Cano by showing him the money Yankees wouldn't /

After nine years in the Bronx, Robinson Cano reportedly agreed to a 10-year, $240 million deal with Seattle :: Chuck Solomon/SI

There was a time, after the 1998 season, when another homegrown star, Bernie Williams, was ready to leave the Yankees for the Red Sox and a $90 million deal. At the last moment, the late owner George Steinbrenner swooped in and improved their offer to Williams from $60.5 million to $87.5 million, and Williams stayed. He wasn't about to leave the only organization he knew for $2.5 million. This time the Yankees didn't respond to the market for Cano. They made the decision that they would hold to their budget and the value they assigned to him. They can argue it was the prudent thing to do. But they are left without a homegrown superstar player, one of the best and most reliable players in baseball. Cano is a Mariner because they attached more value to his worth.

Published Dec 6, 2013

TOM VERDUCCI

Tom Verducci is a senior writer for Sports Illustrated who has covered Major League Baseball since 1981. He also serves as an analyst for FOX Sports and the MLB Network; is a New York Times best-selling author; and cohosts The Book of Joe podcast with Joe Maddon. A five-time Emmy Award winner across three categories (studio analyst, reporter, short form writing) and nominated in a fourth (game analyst), he is a three-time National Sportswriter of the Year winner, two-time National Magazine Award finalist, and a Penn State Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient. Verducci is a member of the National Sports Media Hall of Fame, Baseball Writers Association of America (including past New York chapter chairman) and a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 1993. He also is the only writer to be a game analyst for World Series telecasts. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, with whom he has two children.