New Fernando Tatis Jr. interview explains why Padres kept Robinson Cano

Fernando Tatis Jr.’s comments on Robinson Cano explain why the Padres signed him

Many San Diego Padres fans were surprised when the team gave Robinson Cano a contract earlier this season.

Released by the New York Mets, the once-dominant slugger had rapidly declined after two suspensions for performance-enhancing substances, the second of which spanned the entire 2021 season. Since he’d hit under .200 with the Mets, it was surprising to see the Padres pick Cano up.

Unless you know about him and Fernando Tatis Jr.’s relationship, anyway.

Speaking to MLB insider Robert Murray, Tatis called Cano his “Godfather”:

"“As a kid, I looked up to a lot of guys. I feel like my game has small parts of those guys. Derek Jeter. Jose Reyes. Hanley Ramirez. A-Rod. Those guys were the main ones growing up. I haven’t talked much to those guys about baseball, but one guy that I call my “Godfather” in baseball is Robinson Cano. That’s the mind that I’ve picked the most. He knows a lot about hitting, a lot about baseball and how to slow down the game. Having the chance to learn from a guy like that is huge.”"

Tatis and Cano’s friendship was well known before the Padres signed him. The aging slugger and the wunderkind are both from San Pedro de Macorís in the Dominican Republic

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