The Seattle Mariners would like nothing more than to find a way to rid themselves of Robinson Cano and his massive contract this offseason, and the New York Yankees feel the same about outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury. Could the two teams help each other out?
Probably not, but they at least talked about it.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Yankees and Mariners “briefly discussed a contract swap” that would involve trading two players who were once massive gets on the free agent market, but it does not sound like they made much progress. Ellsbury is owed around $47 million over the next two seasons, while Cano is owed a whopping $120 million over the next five years. The former is 35 while the latter is 36.
According to Rosenthal, the Yankees wanted Seattle to take Ellsbury in addition to paying a significant portion of the money Cano is still owed. However, New York would also only have room for Cano as a first baseman and DH, and he has only played 10 games at first throughout his career.
Ellsbury did not play in 2018 because of a hip injury, and the Yankees have virtually no use for him. He hit .264 in 112 games in 2017, so it’s not as if he was playing at an All-Star level prior to missing the entire year.
Cano’s contract makes him virtually impossible to trade, which is why one report already indicated he isn’t going anywhere. With the amount of money the Mariners would have to eat to unload him, it simply isn’t worth it.
