Sodo Mojo’s Mariners Q&A: Pitching, Cano, Additions

Question 4: What About Cano?
Our final question comes from an old friend concerning what the heck to do with Robinson Cano.
What do the Ms do if they're in the playoff hunt when Cano is eligible to return? Could be detrimental to shift Dee back out to CF for the final month and a half just to bring him back into 2B if they do make the playoffs, no? Also no room at DH. Could he be done for the year?
— Coach Johnson ⚾ (@MJ_Johnson17) May 21, 2018
A loaded question to be sure. Cano is slated to return on August 14th, and there are so many variables in play, it is impossible to feel good about an answer. As a “Dee Gordon to 2B” guy, I must say that shifting him back to CF is going to make the team worse.
However, the Mariners really don’t have a choice. You can’t just leave Cano off the roster. The Mariners figure to be battling for the second wild-card spot and adding an MVP caliber talent to the roster is a huge plus.
Moving Dee Gordon back and forth is tough, but ultimately, is probably necessary. You hate to take AB’s and reps away from anybody who could help you in the playoffs, and since Cano won’t be on the roster IF they make it, it’s tempting to say forget it.
But the Mariners have to get into the playoffs before they can worry about anything else. Robinson Cano will certainly help you in that endeavor. At the end of the day, these things have a tendency to work themselves out.
For all we know, Ryon Healy, Dee Gordon, or Nelson Cruz could get hurt, opening a spot for Cano to step right in. Or perhaps the Mariners trade for a utility guy that is used to being bounced around to different positions?
The simple answer is, we have no idea. It doesn’t make a ton of sense to freak out about it now, but as we creep closer to the August 14th date, it could become the biggest question in Seattle. For now, we will just have to sit back, enjoy the journey, and hope that on that day, it actually matters whether or not Cano is back with the team.
Next: Two Trades that Saved the Mariners
That’s all we have this week! Thank you for all your questions. This summer is shaping up to be an incredible one, and hopefully, we will have more opportunities to answer your questions going forward. Thanks for reading, and as always, ” Go M’s”.