Not so fast: Mariners GM Dipoto refutes reports of Cano's discontent in Seattle
Over the past few days, some whispers have surfaced indicating that second baseman Robinson Cano is "not happy" with the Seattle Mariners and is hopeful of a return to New York.
On Monday, however, Cano tweeted out a video showing him hard at work in the weight room as he prepares for the 2016 season with the Mariners. Later in the day, the club's new general manager Jerry Dipoto spoke in no uncertain terms regarding the rumors ... and refuted them rather strongly.
According to Greg Johns of MLB.com, one of Cano's representatives called Dipoto and cleared the air, denying that Cano had said anything about being dissatisfied in Seattle:
"He reached out to let me know that did not come from Robbie and that's not at all reflective of how he felt," said Dipoto, who replaced former GM Jack Zduriencik two months ago. "Shortly after the season ended, I sat down with Robinson in my office for two hours and we had a great talk and I think we left with a very clear understanding of who one another might be.
"Since the season ended, we've had a couple phone conversations and texted back and forth on a couple occasions. I don't have any reason to believe he has a problem. He has not expressed that to me. As we're moving forward, we believe he's going to have a strong season as our second baseman."
Cano signed a 10-year, $240 million free agent contract with the M's before the 2014 season, and struggled a bit in 2015 with a nagging abdominal issue. After a sluggish start to his '15 season, Cano righted the ship so to speak, hitting .330 with 17 home runs and a .920 OPS over his final 82 games to finish the year with a respectable (though under his career average) batting line of .287/.334/.446.
