SEATTLE -- Robinson Cano is trading pinstripes for the Pacific Northwest. The free agent second baseman and the Seattle Mariners have reached agreement on a deal, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Friday. ESPN reported earlier Friday that the contract was worth $240 million for 10 years. The person told the AP that the deal was pending a physical that had not yet been scheduled. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement. Music mogul Jay-Z, whose Roc Nation has partnered with CAA Baseball to represent Cano, was in Seattle for talks that began Thursday and stretched into Friday. Agent Brodie Van Wagenen of CAA Baseball and Juan Perez of Roc Nation Sports also were in attendance. Cano had spent his entire career with the New York Yankees and was a five-time All-Star. He played in 160 games last season and hit .314 with 27 homers and 107 RBIs. The Yankees had offered $175 million over seven years. New York went 85-77 last season and missed the playoffs for only the second time in 19 years; Seattle went 71-91 and hasnt been in the playoffs since 2001. "He was a great Yankee. He was a great player. I think everybody tried hard to get the deal done. We just never got close enough obviously. We wish him the best. We hope he has a long, healthy career," Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said Friday. "Were going to keep going. Were still looking at all the same guys that we were looking at a week ago or two ago. Were going to continue to improve. Were not done spending." The Mariners werent saying much of anything. "We are not able to confirm any news regarding Robinson Cano at this time. If and when an agreement is completed and finalized, we will announce," the team said in a statement. The deal would be tied for the fourth-richest contract in baseball history and a striking blow from a franchise thats done little to get noticed for the past decade. Only the two deals signed by Alex Rodriguez -- first with Texas and then the Yankees -- and Joey Vottos contract with Cincinnati were worth more. Albert Pujols also signed a $240 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels. Cano posted a .899 on-base plus slugging percentage last season and finished fifth in American League most valuable player voting. Hes been one of the most durable players in baseball for the past seven seasons, missing only 14 out of 1,120 games since the start of the 2007 season. Hes a career .309 hitter who has averaged 24 homers and 97 RBIs per season. Cano has hit at least 25 homers and had a slugging percentage above .500 in every season since 2009. Cano could be the anchor for a lineup thats lacked consistency at the plate most of the past decade. Between 2009 and 2012, Seattles offence ranked last in baseball in batting average, and was near the bottom in runs scored and homers. The Mariners showed some pop this past season with 188 home runs -- second-most in baseball -- but 52 of those came from the combo of Kendrys Morales and 41-year-old Raul Ibanez, both free agents. Its the second straight off-season Seattle will have made a massive financial commitment after giving a $175 million, seven-year deal to ace Felix Hernandez last winter. Seattle has plenty of financial room to make significant cash commitments because the only major contracts on the books for 2014 are for Hernandez and Hisashi Iwakuma, and only Michael Saunders and Justin Smoak are entering arbitration. Helping provide room to increase the payroll is the Mariners investment in a new regional sports network that is expected to net Seattle significant revenue in the coming years and its not a surprise the club was able to make such a staggering offer. But finalizing a deal with Cano wont solve all of Seattles problems. Its a start, immediately adding a legitimate slugger to the middle of a lineup that finally showed some pop last season after years of floundering with one of the worst offences in baseball. The Mariners have plenty of other problems to solve, including adding another established starter to their rotation and finding solutions for an outfield filled with questions. The potential acquisition of Cano could mean a move is made with Nick Franklin or Dustin Ackley. Franklin became Seattles starting second baseman for the majority of last season after an early promotion from the minors. He showed flashes at the plate but slumped badly in the later months of the season and his defence was always a concern. Ackley was Seattles second baseman of the future when he was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2009 draft, but went through his own hitting swoon. Ackley was demoted to the minors to try to find his swing and was moved from second base to playing in the outfield. . The Mercedes duo of three-time Canadian Grand Prix champion Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg has won all six races to start the season, finishing one-two in the last five. . The hard-serving 22-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., became the first Canadian to be ranked in the Top 10 on the ATP World Tour thanks to his runner-up performance at Rogers Cup in Montreal.
https://www.sportsstarsjerseys.com/james-conner-jersey/. The 29-year-old German, the 2011 overall World Cup champion, says she has decided "to end my career now. .com) - Intrastate rivals collide Saturday as the Texas State Bobcats hit the road to take on the eighth-ranked Texas Longhorns in a non-conference battle at Frank Erwin Center. . The best round belonged to Pat Perez. Tiger Woods didnt come close to claiming either Thursday in the Farmers Insurance Open, where the seven-time champion failed to break par in the opening round for first time in his career.PINEHURST, N.C. -- Phil Mickelson spent five hours in the stifling heat Tuesday at Pinehurst No. 2 with a lot on his mind. He was trying to sharpen his game, figure out what it will take to finally win a U.S. Open and make enough putts with his claw grip to avoid losing to a pair of players whose combined age is younger than him. This major has a reputation as the toughest test in golf. Its every bit of that for Mickelson. "I really believe that this week is testing a players entire game," Mickelson said. "Because it forces you to make good decisions, to choose the right club off the tee, hit solid iron shots into the green and utilize your short game to save strokes. Its just a wonderful test ... the best test Ive seen to identify the best player." His definition of Pinehurst and its rugged, natural look would seem to require every ounce of concentration. And that could be his biggest challenge. On the golf course, Mickelson is trying to ignore the enormous expectations on him this week. He holds the worst kind of U.S. Open record with six runner-up finishes. He needs this major to complete the career Grand Slam. And hes a sentimental favourite at Pinehurst No. 2, where in 1999 he played the entire week knowing his wife was on the verge of delivering their first child. Payne Stewart made a 15-foot par putt on the final hole to beat him by one shot. Amanda Mickelson was born the next day. Stewart died in a plane crash four months later. "Payne and I had this moment where we talked about fatherhood, but he also talked about winning future U.S. Opens," Mickelson said. "Although I havent won one yet, Im still fighting hard, and this would be a great place to break through and do it. The flip side is that I tend to do well when its least expected. "I dont want to put the pressure on that this is the only week that Ill have a chance," he said. "I think Ill have a number of great opportunities in the future years. But this is certainly as good a chance as Ill have." Off the course, Mickelson has made headlines that threaten his clean image. He was linked two weeks ago to an insider trading investigation involving activist investor Carl Icahn and Las Vegas gambler Billy Walters over some timely trades of Clorox stock three years ago. FBI agents even came to the golf course to try to interview Mickelson. He referred them to his attorney, said he had done "absolutely nothing wrong" and that "Im not going to walk around any other way." It would seem to be a major distractionn for Mickelson.dddddddddddd Even though he hasnt won in nearly a year, and he has dropped to No. 11 in the world ranking, he is the centre of attention in the sand hills of North Carolina -- especially with Tiger Woods still out of the game while recovering from back surgery. Then again, it could be to Mickelsons advantage to be at a place such as Pinehurst. The course doesnt allow anyone to think about anything but the next shot. "We have so many players when they have a lot of stuff swirling around them that use that four or five hours on the golf course as a sanctuary," two-time U.S. Open champion Andy North said. "You can focus sometimes even better, which sound crazy, but its your place where no one can get to you. The phone cant ring. No one can ask you questions about whatever it is. And you get out there and find your little space. And sometimes that creates a situation where a guy can play exceptionally well." The investigation has not been a big topic since Mickelson said repeatedly at the Memorial that he had done nothing wrong, was co-operating and would not talk about it until it was resolved. There were no direct questions at his news conference Tuesday, only veiled references to coping with off-course distractions. Barclays, one of his biggest sponsors, declined to comment on Mickelson. KPMG, another major sponsor, said in a statement, "We have had a very strong relationship with Phil for a number of years, and we fully expect it to continue. We have great respect for him." While Mickelsons U.S. Open record is loaded with disappointment, he sees only opportunity. To have been the runner-up six times -- not to mention other U.S. Opens where he had a chance to win in the final hour -- means he must be doing something right. And he hasnt lost his sense of humour. "I feel as good about my game as I have all year," Mickelson said, pausing before he added, "Thats not staying a lot because I havent played well all year." He also said an analysis of his close calls in the U.S. Open revealed that it rained during the week in five of those second-place finishes. "So Im pulling for rain," he said. As for that other match? Mickelson carried the load as he and Rickie Fowler rallied from 3 down to tie the match, only for 20-year-old Jordan Spieth to make a 20-foot birdie on the 17th, and 21-year-old Justin Thomas to drill a tee shot on the 18th hole to set up a par for the win. Another close call. Its a U.S. Open. Mickelson should be used to that by now. ' ' '
