Latest Athlete to Sign In a Low Tax State: Robbie Cano

Once again, low-tax states help their pro teams score marquis players.

The Seattle Mariners’ contract with Robinson Cano is worth about $42 million more in after-tax pay than the New York Yankees’ best offer to the All-Star second baseman, according to Robert Raiola, a certified public accountant who specializes in sports and entertainment. 

The calculation, Raiola said in a telephone interview, is based on the assumption that Cano will become a resident of Washington, which has no state income tax. Cano, in an April New York Daily News article said he lived in New Jersey, where the top tax is 8.97 percent.