After a fantastic debut season for Robinson Cano with the Seattle Mariners, came a disappointing 2015 both on an individual level and for the team.
Cano was an All-Star in 2014 as the Mariners finished 87-75, thinking that their big moves in free agency will soon pay off in the form of making the playoffs, finally. But they fell to 76-86 in 2015, with Cano doing terribly on defense and offensively showing worrying signs. He fell from .314 to .287 (his lowest since 2008) which isn’t the worst possible decline in the world, especially considering he did hit 21 home runs, but fell off on his OPS and struck out a career high 107 times.
The Mariners are planning on moving Cano to second base because of his defense ASAP. He turned 33 in October, with the Mariners hoping that his mistakes on defense can be easier to hide over there, while his bat continues to work at a respectable level for at least a few more years.
Many eyebrows were raised when the Mariners agreed to give Cano a 10-year deal worth $240 million, something his own New York Yankees weren’t willing to cough up. If his hitting remains decent and the Marines manage to make the playoffs and soon, it won’t be too much of a tragedy. But it’ll be impossible to move him and while no one is expecting any gold gloves any time soon (two in his career), which means the Mariners can’t afford his hitting to become a hindrance as well.