Mariners sign Robinson Cano

The Seattle Mariners have signed second baseman Robinson Cano to a 10-year, $240 million contract, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com (spanish link). The deal includes a full no-trade clause, according to reports. It is the third largest deal in Major League Baseball history. The Mariners have yet to confirm the reports. 

Cano's deal isn't what he wanted in the beginning of the offseason (Cano asked for $300 million), but it is definitely a very expensive contract. The 31-year old has spent his entire career with the Yankees since starting his MLB career in 2005. He's been an exceptional player as well, both offensively and defensively. 

In 2013, Robinson Cano hit .314/.383/.516 with 27 home runs and 107 RBI. With that, Cano posted a 7.6 WAR In terms of an OPS standpoint, 2013 was the third-best season Cano has ever posted. In 2012, Cano was better, hitting .313/.379/.550 with 33 home runs and 91 RBI. In the 2013 season, Cano only played in Seattle in four games, going 2-for-13 with 1 home run and 4 RBI. He hit a three-run home run against Seattle on June 6th. 

Over his career, Cano has a .309/.355/.504 slash line. He averages 24 home runs and 97 RBI over every 162-games. He has also posted a 45.2 WAR (Baseball-Reference) over his career. In 40 career games in Seattle against the Mariners, Robinson Cano has hit .309/.350/.487 with 4 home runs and 20 RBI. That is definitely a good sign for the Mariners that Cano will perform at Safeco Field. 

Mariners second baseman posted a 27th-worst OPS in 2013. Robinson Cano will definitely help improve that mark, and improve their team as a whole. In 2013, the Seattle Mariners finished 71-91, which ranked fourth in the American League West. Nick Franklin, the Mariner 2013 second baseman, posted a 2.3 WAR in 2013, which is minuscule compared to the 7.6 WAR of Cano. If everything holds true in 2014 (I guarantee you it won't), Cano could provide five more wins to the Mariners, making them 76-86, and only 15.5 games behind the Rays for second Wild Card. If the Mariners play a little better, or they add more pieces, it's possible that they could make the playoffs for the first time since 2001. 

I ranked Cano first on my top 15 free agents for 2014.