The rich continue to get richer in the MLB. Reigning World-Series Champions Atlanta Braves have acquired infielder Robinson Cano from the San Diego Padres in exchange for cash. Cano adds a veteran presence to the Braves lineup and will most likely be used as a designated hitter or bench bat.

Cano has had a whirlwind of a career, especially towards the tail end. The 39-year-old was released by the Mets a few months ago after a tumultuous tenure. Since joining the Mets via trade from the Seattle Mariners, Cano has been in a rockslide towards the bottom. He was suspended all of 2021 after failing a PED test, then in his first few games for the Mets, he put up atrocious numbers. Hitting just .195/.233/.268 in his first 12 games, the Mets had no choice but to release him on May 8. After signing with the Padres, Cano went on another stretch of bad form, only registering three hits on 33 at-bats and striking out 10 times.

The Padres had originally designated him for assignment to the minor leagues, however, Cano opted to become a free agent, but after going unsigned he joined the Padres Triple-A affiliate in El Paso. In El Paso, Cano hit .333/.375/.429 with five doubles, three triples, and 20 RBI, a significant uptick in production.

Cano made his debut for the Braves against his old team the New York Mets on Monday, going 2-3 at the plate in a 4-1 loss. Cano said that he is determined to continue to prolong his MLB career and has put in the work to do so. “I know what work I’ve put in the offseason and I’ve always believed in myself and the stuff that I do to prepare myself, I feel that I can still play this game,” he said.

Braves’ manager Brian Snikter said that he is hopeful that Cano can still produce on the field. “I think he was rusty when he was here for the first two times,” he said. “You’re just hoping you get what Robinson Canó is capable of. It’s worth a try. He’s been playing a month in Triple-A and doing well, so we’ll see. He’s in great shape.”

The Braves sit just 2.5 games back of the Mets for first place in the NL East.

With 320 home runs, New York Mets second basemen Robinson Cano could essentially fill a up a book with all his home runs so far during his 14-year career.

Cano, unable to ever add three pages to his “book” at once until last night, finally accomplished that feat, rocking three home runs during a game against the San Diego Padres.

Cano, 36, ignited his fireworks display after slapping a change-up into right field to push the Mets out to a 1–0 lead. After digging in for his second at–bat, Cano sat back on a curve ball, waiting for it to break before connecting with a massive cut, sending that ball into the right-field seats as well. The following inning, Cano lifted one more into the seats, clubbing a 418–foot bomb that also scored rookie sensation Pete Alonso. The blast gave the Mets a 5–0 lead, and eventually a 5–2 victory, as Cano stood responsible for all runs scored by New York during the affair.

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Cano’s increasing age surrounded his accomplishment with even further applause, as although the 36–year old remains an appreciated MLB talent, his best playing days exist only in the rearview mirror. His home run triad also ended a 99-game drought in which Cano failed to get on base, something that certainly helped in relieving some pressure off the veteran’s shoulders with fashion.

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After the game Cano jokingly stated, “Hopefully things turn around from here so you guys don’t kill me in the paper anymore.”

Although the New York media indeed continues to bash Cano for his lackluster play since singing with the Mets this winter, Mets skipper Mickey Callaway expressed his ongoing faith in Cano even with all the noise.

“We were seeing signs of it early, when he was hitting the ball hard but hitting it right at people,” said Callaway of Cano. “Then he went through that period where the ground balls started finding holes, and now he’s driving the ball. You could see the power and the stroke coming.’’

While the Mets only exist as an afterthought at this point, as they sit several games outside the playoff picture, their crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees, hold the league’s best record, Cano’s recent resurgence at least offers fans something to watch as they move along with another subpar season.

While the Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners kicked off the season a little early, the rest of the MLB had to wait until March 28 to play meaningful baseball. Fans who found themselves feining for the sport weren’t disappointed when it returned.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers hit an opening day record eight home runs as a team. Joc Pederson hit the first Dodger dinger in the second inning. Enrique Hernandez, Austin Barnes, and Corey Seager all went deep in the fourth. That led to a 12-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers are on pace for 1,296 homers. It would shatter the current team season record of 267.

The Milwaukee Brewers were snatched from the jaws of defeat by centerfielder Lorenzo Cain. With two outs in the ninth inning, Cardinal Jose Martinez sent a shot deep. Cain took off and found himself at the warning track. He reached up, snagged the would be home run, bounced off the wall, screamed, and threw the ball into the stands. The Brewers won 5-4.

Bryce Harper also made his Philadelphia Phillies debut. He trotted out to right field, took a bow for the fans and fist pumped. Later on, he showed off his green, Phanatic-inspired cleats when he dug in. Though he went hitless, the Phillies still won and it showed a promising era was beginning.

And another newly-acquired player made a splash as well. In his first game as a New York Met, Robinson Cano made sure his team won on opening day. He took the third pitch he saw deep. The Mets are now 38-12 in their last 50 opening days, a team-best in all four of the major sports.

As each MLB team looks to hoist the World Series trophy in November, be sure to follow along. Opening day brought plenty of suprises.

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.

Seattle Mariners All-Star Robinson Cano has been suspended 80 games for a drug violation, Major League Baseball stated Tuesday.

Robinson Cano Suspended 80 Games For Positive Drug Test

The 35-year-old Dominican second baseman tested positive for furosemide, a diuretic more commonly known as Lasix.

According to ESPN, MLB’s drug policy states that players are not automatically banned for using a diuretic — which increases the passing of urine — unless the league has evidence that they attempted to use the drug as a masking agent during a urine test.

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“Recently I learned that I tested positive for a substance called furosemide, which is not a performance-enhancing substance,” Cano said in a statement issued by the MLB Players Association. “Furosemide is used to treat various medical conditions in the United States and the Dominican Republic. This substance was given to me by a licensed doctor in the Dominican Republic to treat a medical ailment. While I did not realize at the time that I was given a medication that was banned, I obviously now wish that I had been more careful.”

“For more than 15 years, playing professional baseball has been the greatest honor and privilege of my life. I would never do anything to cheat the rules of the game that I love, and after undergoing dozens of drug tests over more than a decade, I have never tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance for the simple reason that I have never taken one.”

Per MLB.com, Cano is in the fifth year of a 10-year, $240 million deal he signed with the Mariners during the 2013-14 offseason. Seattle (23-17) is third in the AL West, 1.5 games behind the Houston Astros and first-place Los Angeles Angels.

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Cano — who is in his fifth season with the Mariners — has been injured since Sunday, when he sustained a fractured metacarpal in his right hand after getting hit by a pitch from the Detroit Tigers’ Blaine Hardy. Cano’s time on the disabled list — which according to MLB will be around 6-8 weeks if he needs surgery — will count toward his 80-game ban, the league said.

The second baseman was hitting  .287 with four home runs and 23 RBIs this season.

Robinson Cano homered lead off the tenth inning and propel the American League to a 2-1 victory over the National League in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game in Miami.

Robinson Cano MLB All-Star Game 2017

The Seattle Mariners second baseman smacked a 395-foot blast to right field to record the fourth extra-inning home run in All-Star history, and the first in 50 years. Cano took home MVP honors and a Corvette for his accomplishment.

“You come here and as a kid you watch (Ken) Griffey (Jr.) and all those guys that come to the All-Star Game, winning MVP. You want to get that feeling,” Cano said. “I already got it once for the Home Run Derby. I want to have this feeling.”

Griffey and Ichiro Suzuki are the only two other Mariners to win MVP (in 1992 and 2007, respectively).

The AL and NL combined for 23 strikeouts and were tied 1-1 after nine innings on Tuesday.

Cano, 34, was named to the AL All-Star team as an injury replacement for fellow Dominican Starlin Castro of the New York Yankees, Cano’s former team. Cano joined the Mariners in 2014 after eight seasons with the Yankees.

The MVP was the AL’s third choice at second base after Jose Altuve and Jonathan Schoop. 

Schoop scored the AL’s first run of the game by firing a two-out double in the fifth. He scored on a blooper by Miguel Sano that fell just inside the right-field line and out of reach of Bryce Harper. St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina tied it for the NL with a solo homer to deep right-center field in the sixth.

Late Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez — who died in a boating accident in September 2016, was also honored at Marlins Park on Tuesday night. Several of the deceased players’ teammates said kinds words about him before the game, and even opponents like the Washington Nationals’ Harper wore special cleats with Fernandez’s picture on them.

The outcome of this year’s All-Star Game did not determine home field advantage for the World Series, which is why both managers said prior to the contest that every player would have an opportunity to play on Tuesday.

MIAMI, FL – JULY 11: Robinson Cano #22 of the Seattle Mariners and the American League celebrates hitting a home run in the tenth inning against the National League during the 88th MLB All-Star Game at Marlins Park on July 11, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Even in the Emerald City, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence. Robinson Cano might be learning that first hand.

After growing to stardom with the New York Yankees, the second baseman left for free agency where he signed a massive contract with the Mariners. Even though he will make $24 million a season until 2023, he reportedly isn’t happy playing in Seattle.

The saga started last week, when former Mariners first base coach Andy Van Slyke appeared on a St. Louis radio show where he tore into the second baseman; he called Cano the worst player on the team and stated that his poor play cost several people their jobs.

Shortly after, John Harper of the New York Daily News reached out to a “long-time friend” of the Mariners’ infielder to get the pulse of the situation. “But even if Cano has had the best intentions as a Mariner, one long-time friend who spoke to him recently says the second baseman is not happy in Seattle, especially with a new regime in charge there now, and that he’d love to somehow find his way back to New York,” he wrote.

While the amount of money Seattle would have to eat to cut bait with Cano seems prohibitively high, stranger things have happened. In the meantime, the second baseman is already getting ready for his next season in the Pacific Northwest.

Photo: Robinson Cano #22 of the Seattle Mariners singles in the fourth inning against the Houston Astros at Safeco Field on September 28, 2015 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)