The New York Yankees are heading into an offseason with a number of tough financial questions and one of the biggest will be whether they can re-sign free agent second baseman Robinson Cano and if he leaves, some options could be trades for players like Brandon Phillips and Dan Uggla or signing someone like Omar Infante or Mark Ellis.
According to Hardball Talk, the NY Post is reporting that the Yankees could explore trades if Cano leaves, but it is more likely that the team will take a look at free agent second baseman Omar Infante, who was with the Tigers and could be an inexpensive replacement for Cano. The Yankees and Cano are over $100 million apart on their contract ideas and while the Yankees are worried about losing Cano, they don't want another 10-year contract and not at $300 million either and on top of that, they also feel they should hold strong, as it is possible that no team will give him that much money.
The report says that GM Brian Cashman has looked in on Infante and with free agency officially starting on Tuesday, the Yankees could possibly be in play for his services. The second baseman market is thin with names like Mark Ellis and Kelly Johnson and if Cano fails to sign back with the team, it could be someone like Infante who comes in to hold things over. Reports have players like Phillips and Uggla on the trading black, but right now the Yankees likely do not have the prospects to cover deals like that, as both the Reds and Braves have traditionally made deals of that nature.
There were reports that the Yankees could spend big despite wanting to get the payroll down, as they could be interested in Jacoby Ellsbury as well as Matt Garza in free agency, as they have a ton of money coming off the books with Mariano Rivera, Curtis Granderson, Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes. The Yankees have looked into Infante before the two sides can discuss any money or years and that could also be a move to show Cano that they are willing to move on without him if his demands get out of hand, which seems to be the way things are going so far.
The Tigers are not giving Infante a qualifying offer at $14.1 million and that is a good sign for the Yankees, as they won't give up a draft pick if they sign him and he could come on the cheap. He is still relatively young at 32, right around Cano's age and while he was injured during the summer, he still hit over .315 while playing in 118 games and that type of solid production could be just what the Yankees need if Cano leaves, especially if he is asking for $300 million.
Cano is getting a qualifying offer, so the Yankees will protect themselves and while it is unlikely, they could pull out all the stops like they did a few years ago to trade for someone like Phillips or Uggla. The Reds reportedly have been shopping Phillips and it could have to do with the way his contract has been and that could mean that Phillips could be on his way out after criticizing the team for lowballing him after giving Joey Votto $200 million. Uggla is getting older and with his money coming up over $20 million the next two seasons, he could be on the move as well.