MLB Rumors 2014: Seattle Mariners Targeting Robinson Cano, NY Yankees Unwilling To Raise Offer

The Seattle Mariners are getting aggressive on the free agency market and recent reports suggest that the team joined the Robinson Cano sweepstakes two days after allegedly offering a three-year deal to veteran Carlos Beltran.

The Yankees are still considered the favorite to retain the services of the free agent second baseman, but they are still unwilling to give into the demanded contract of Cano who is reportedly seeking a deal worth more than $300 million over 10 seasons.

The Yankees and Cano's camp are still far apart in terms of the financial details of a possible deal, which opens up the possibility of other teams acquiring the All-Star.

According to ESPN New York, the Mariners which reportedly offered a three-year deal worth $48 million to Beltran are planning to tender an offer to Cano. Sources say that Seattle is willing to sign Cano to an eight-year deal worth $200 million in hopes of improving their roster for the next MLB season.

Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik did not confirm nor denied the reported meeting with the highly-coveted second baseman, saying that their team is expected to talk to every free agent.

"We've talked to everybody," Zduriencik said. "There's not a free agent we haven't talked to. We've cast a wide net."

But despite the reported strong pitch from the Mariners, a Newsday source said that the Yankees won't budge and will remain firm on their latest offer to Cano.

On Tuesday, the Yankees met with Cano's representative and tendered a $160-million offer over seven seasons, but it is still way lower than the asking price of Cano.

Sources added that the representative of Cano made a counter offer -- a nine-year deal worth $252 million, but the Yankees looked firm on their decision of not offering a contract that exceeds $175 million.

"The Yankees don't intend to deviate much from their initial offer to Robinson Cano, a person with knowledge of the team's thinking said on Wednesday, even amid multiple reports that the second baseman's agents met recently with officials from the Mariners," Newsday reported.