When Robinson Cano signed his 10-year, $240-million deal on Dec. 12, 2013, it was met locally with shock (that the Mariners, of all teams, would make such a massive investment) and glee (for the exact same reason).
Then-general manager Jack Zduriencik – just one week removed from a Seattle Times expose detailing rampant dysfunction in the organization – stated that the Mariners had decided this time they simply weren’t going to let money or length of contract keep them getting their man.
“They (ownership) believed it was time for us to strike with a star,” Zduriencik said at the introductory news conference, a glitzy affair featuring a Cano highlight video accompanied by a Jay Z rap song.