After being the New York Yankees second baseman for the past nine seasons, Robinson Cano has decided to sign with the Seattle Mariners. The all star second baseman agreed to a ten year, two hundred and forty million dollar contract on Friday, December sixth.

After signing rapper Jay-Z as his sports agent, Cano has been seeking as large of a deal possible throughout the 2013 free agent period. ESPN baseball experts Buster Olney and Tim Kurkjian have been preaching the entire winter that Cano would end up staying with the storied Yankee team. Playing with the Yankees is different though, with all of the history and championships Cano would never be able to be the true face of the franchise.

Cano goes to a young Seattle team with some potential and will immediately be the best player and hit in the middle of the order everyday. In comparison to the Yankees, they are a team building with young talent in hopes of making the playoffs in the near future. New York is an older team holding on to try to stay relevant for a few more seasons.

Already this offseason the Yankees have signed Catcher Brian McCann and Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury to big contracts. It is evident the Yankees thought Cano might leave so they addressed their needs in other areas.

What this means for the Mariners: The team now has a stud second baseman they can play everyday. Last season Cano was a top ten hitter in baseball as he hit for a .314 average with 27 home runs and 107 runs batted in. Cano has also made the all star game five times in his career, including the last four seasons.

What this means for the Yankees: Obviously this leaves a huge void in the middle of the lineup and at second base for the team. However, it does save them a lot of money to use on other positions, specifically pitching. Ellsbury and McCann can make up for Cano’s offensive production if both stay healthy. Though there are no obvious pitching options, General Manager Brian Cashman has money for trades with Cano departing. The team will further focus on replacing Cano’s bat as they pursue Outfielders Shin Soo Choo and Carlos Beltran.

Only time will whether this deal was worth it or not. In the past eight off-seasons combined the Mariners have spent 239 million dollars, in one player alone they just spent 240 million. This is a risky move but might be the spark the young organization is looking for.