Robinson Cano to wear No. 22 with Seattle Mariners

Robinson Cano wore No. 24 during his nine seasons with the New York Yankees. He will wear No. 22 with the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners sent out their first official team-issued photo of the $240 million man on Thursday and announced that 22 is his new number. Ken Griffey Jr. is the last player to have worn No. 24 for the Mariners, which prompted people like Bryce Harper to wonder if Cano would choose another number in Seattle. I’m guessing he either chose 22 to respect Griffey or was asked to do so by the team. Either way, I doubt it was an issue.

The Mariners have not officially retired any jersey numbers other than Jackie Robinson’s No. 42, which is league-wide. The team’s requirement for retiring a uniform number states that a player must have spent five seasons with the Mariners and be in the Hall of Fame. Griffey will likely meet that criteria someday, but in the meantime the M’s have not given out his number since he left in 1999. The richest player in franchise history was no exception.

Photo: Twitter/Seattle Mariners