For nine years, Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano were double-play partners up the middle for the New York Yankees, but now with Cano having departed the Bronx for the Pacific Northwest after signing a 10-year $240 million deal with the Seattle Mariners, Jeter said that he will miss his friend and teammate but understands it's the nature of the business even if he would have liked to have played with him longer.
According to ESPN, Jeter said that he's happy that Cano is happy and that he will continue to support him even if they aren't teammates.
"Yeah [Robbie's] happy, wouldn't you be happy? That's a lot of money," Jeter told ESPN on Monday. "I've been paying for breakfast, lunch and dinner all these years. He gets paid and he leaves, so I'll get him in Seattle, I guess," he joked.
Jeter also noted that he wasn't surprised that Cano left, but said that he will definitely miss him as a teammate and friend.
"I learned a long time ago I'm not going to be surprised by anything," Jeter said, according to ESPN. "With Robbie, I played with him for nine years. He's the second baseman I've spent the longest time with, so I'm going to miss him a lot. We got pretty close throughout the years, but I understand it's a business. I wish him the best. Everyone knows how I feel about him as a player. I would've liked to have played with him longer, but it's a business and guys move on."
Jeter, 39, who has spent his whole career that spans 19 years in the Bronx, said he didn't call Cano to try to sell him to stay.
"I've never called anyone to try and convince them to come," Jeter said per ESPN. "There's nothing to sell Robbie on or sell anyone on. I think you know what it is. I'm sure he had enough people in his ears. I speak with Robbie, I speak with him a lot, but I would never try to convince anyone."
Jeter, who admitted he wasn't surprised by anything with the nature of the business, did say that he thought Cano would finish out his career in New York.
"I mean, I thought he would," Jeter said via ESPN. "I think a lot of people thought he would. But I don't know all the details of what happened. I'd be speaking prematurely if I were to comment on what went down between those two sides. I have no clue. That's a better question for Robbie, but I think a lot of people hoped he was gonna be here. Like I said, whatever reason, he's made his decision."
While the Yankees lost their second baseman to free agency, they've mostly won in the offseason in Jeter's mind with the additions of catcher Brian McCann along with outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran.
"We've made some good [moves]," Jeter told ESPN. "McCann I know because I played with him in the WBC [World Baseball Classic]. And the other two guys I know just from playing against them. I don't know them personally, but we've made some good moves."
Jeter has played 2,602 games with the Yankees while amassing a .312 career average with 256 homers and 1,261 RBIs.
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