Mariners not first team to dangle stud closer as salary-dump bait

The Mariners are hoping to use Edwin Diaz (left) as bait to induce a team to take Robinson Cano -- much as the Braves did in 2015, when they dealt Craig Kimbrel (right) to the Padres before Kimbrel eventually landed in Boston.What the Mariners are attempting — tying a financial albatross (Robinson Cano) to the best reliever in his league (Edwin Diaz) with four years to go until his free agency — has precedent.

The Braves of the 2014-15 offseason were the Mariners of 2018-19. Atlanta had decided it could not win with its core group and chose to take a few steps back to try to contend when Sun Trust Park opened in 2017, much like Seattle has determined to break up its core with an eye on 2021…