It was reported Thursday that the Mariners were willing to offer Robinson Cano a nine-year deal worth upward of $220 million. Apparently, that wasn’t enough for Jay Z.
Talks between Seattle and Cano have now broken off due to “excessive demands” made on the second baseman’s behalf by the rapper turned sports agent, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. The Mariners were reportedly ready to pay Cano $225 million over nine years, but Jay Z’s late insistence on a 10th year doomed the negotiations.
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Cano parted ways with longtime agent Scott Boras earlier this year to sign with Jay Z’s newly formed Roc Nation Sports, which is reportedly marketing the five-time All-Star as a Michael Jordan-caliber superstar.
The second baseman, whose contract with the Yankees expired in September, has spent nine highly productive seasons in New York. The top free agent remaining on the market, Cano boasts a career .309/.355/.504 slash line and has played 159 or more games in each of the last seven seasons.
Losing out on Cano would be another crushing blow for the Mariners, who were said to be in the running for Jacoby Ellsbury earlier this week before the center fielder turned their offer down to join the Yankees.
