Mark Teixeira “Not Surprised” That Former Teammate Robinson Cano Has Been Suspended for Drug Violation

Major League Baseball announced earlier this week that Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano has been suspended for 80 games following the discovery of his having used a banned masking agent called diuretic furosemide commonly used to mask the presence of performance-enhancing drugs, something which is apparently unsurprising to former Yankees teammate Mark Teixeira.

During his appearance on 98.7 ESPN’s Michael Kay Show, Teixeira indicated that he’s “just not surprised” by the allegations and suspension against Cano, as well as the second baseman’s admitting to having knowingly taken the substance. Despite this assertion, Teixeira declined to go into further detail about the situation, saying, “I don’t really want to go much further, but I think a lot of people are saying the same thing.”

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However, Teixeira did indicate that Cano was likely influenced by former teammates Alex Rodriguez and Melky Cabrera, both of whom were busted for taking performance-enhancers over the course of their careers. He said, “Robbie Cano’s assistant was on the list for Biogenesis. Now, of course, [he] had an assistant, you know, buy stuff for him. Alex Rodriguez got popped by Biogenesis, and Melky got popped. They were best friends. When someone gets lumped into that group, it’s because there’s evidence. There’s a paper trail. There’s a smoke trail.”

Teixeira and Cano played together with the Yankees for five seasons from 2009 to 2013, forming one of the best offenses in baseball alongside the likes of Rodriguez and Derek Jeter, culminating in a 2009 World Series victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. After the 2013 season, Cano signed a 10-year deal with the Mariners for $140 million. Teixeira remained with the Yankees until the 2016 season, after which he retired, and now works as a baseball analyst for ESPN.

The loss of Cano for half the season will likely be a huge blow to the Mariners, as he has arguably been the cornerstone of their offense since he arrived in 2014. Between then and the end of 2017, he hit for a .295 average with 97 home runs and 361 RBIs. So far this year, Cano has batted for a .287 average with 4 homers and 23 RBIs. Look for guys like third baseman Kyle Seager, outfielder Mitch Haniger, and outfielder/DH Nelson Cruz to pick up Cano’s traditional third slot in the batting order, with Andrew Romine likely taking his defensive spot at second base.

Article by Matthew Lamb