The Mariners are still interested in making a big move, like for Masahiro Tanaka, David Price or Nelson Cruz, but they'll need to convince ownership to spend more money first, according to Ken Rosenthal.
Mariners need to pursuade ownership to spend if they want to add anything else this offseason
The Mariners made a big splash by signing Robinson Cano, but they’ll need to talk ownership into loosening the purse strings if they want to add anything else.
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
They made the biggest move in baseball earlier this offseason by signing Robinson Cano for 10 years and $240 million, but it seems ownership isn't particularly excited about spending any more money. Beyond stars Cano and Felix Hernandez, they only have two other players making more than $3 million next season. Baseball-Reference projects their opening day payroll to be around $81 million after arbitration cases are settled. That's a relatively modest payroll in today's MLB, as it would rank in the bottom third of teams. One could argue that paying for another premiere talent, like, say, Masahiro Tanaka, could make them a competitive team.
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General manager Jack Zduriencik made a bold move in getting Cano, but as it stands, the Mariners still have a ways to go to catch up with division rivals Texas and Oakland. Zduriencik could also be working for his job, as his contract is up after the 2014 season and he has led the team for four straight losing years. From Zduriencik’s perspective, another big move or two could go a long way to pushing the team into contention and potentially saving his job. But from ownership’s perspective, they may be hesitant to let Zduriencik make any more long-term commitments if they are unsure about the direction he is taking the club.
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