The Seattle Mariners have made several big moves this season, but one their biggest free-agency catch this season thinks that the team is still few moves away from being a serious contender next MLB season.
Cano, who signed a lucrative 10-year deal worth $240 million with the Mariners this offseason, told CBS Sports that Seattle needs to add another hitter - particularly a right-handed bat before the start of the 2014 MLB season.
Aside from acquiring Cano, the Mariners also inked deals with Corey Hart and Logan Morrison, creating a logjam of lefty players, which includes Cano, Kyle Seager, Michael Saunders, Brad Miller, and Dustin Ackley.
"I'm not going to lie. We need an extra bat, especially a right-handed bat," Cano said. "We have many left-handed hitters. We need at least one more righty. You don't want to face a lefty pitcher with a lineup of seven left-handed hitters."
Cano thinks that re-signing Kendrys Morales could work well into their favor next season. The former New York Yankees star said that Morales, who had 23 home runs last season, is the type of player that they need - a switch hitter who's got power.
And once the Mariners address their need for another bat, Cano added that Seattle should also make a strong push to sign free agent pitcher Ervin Santana.
The former Kansas City Royals is one of the big-name free agents, who are still unsigned at this point of the offseason, and Cano believes that that the Mariners should start making a run at the veteran pitcher.
"He is great," Cano said of Santana. "The guy's always pitching. He never gets hurt."
The 31-year-old pitcher went 9-10 with a 3.24 ERA with the Royals last season, and has also started at least 30 times in six of his past eight seasons in the major league.
According to reports, the Mariners could express strong interest in signing Santana due to the injuries that hit their starting rotation.
Veteran pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma and Taijuan Walker are not expected to recover from their respective injuries in time for the start of next season.
It remains to be seen though whether or not the Mariners will be willing to surrender their highest draft pick in order to sign Santana, who previously turned down a qualifying offer from the Royals.
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