Robinson Cano and the New York Yankees have been in contract negotiations since spring training began. It has become an unavoidable topic for everyone involved. Cano is set to become a free agent at the end of the 2013 season and if the Yankees are unable to sign him, he will likely garner a lot of attention on the free agent market. After being approached multiple times about the status of his contract, Cano is now saying he will no longer discuss his contract in order to not be a distraction to the team.
Yankees general manager recently said the team has made a significant offer to Cano in order to get a deal done sooner rather than later. Details of the offer were not released. Cano's agent, Scott Boras, is known for the ability to sign players extremely large contracts. He currently represents six of the highest paid players in the MLB.
Cano admits that it is difficult to avoid the questions about his contract. Reporters are constantly around his locker begging for any recent news. The issue will likely linger on all season until a solution is reached. Cano believes he will never be able to get it out of his head until something is finalized. He says right now his focus is on the field and not on the contract.
"I just want to play baseball, Scott and the Yankees are doing that. I want to focus on playing baseball. I don't want to talk. I don't want to be a distraction. I want to play and help the team win a championship," Cano said.
Cano deflected the question about what exactly the significant offer from the Yankees was. He did not want the conversation to go any further. It is believed that the offer was somewhere in the range of seven years for $172 million. At an average of $24.6 million, that would top CC Sabathia's $24.4 per year salary. It would make Cano the highest paid second baseman in the league.
Boras can argue Cano's contract to be somewhere in the 10 year range. He negotiated Alex Rodriguez's current 10-year, $275 million contract. Cano would be worth the price, but a 10-year contract seems unrealistic for someone that would be 40 when the contract expires.
Cano is certainly worth a big contract. He is a career .308 hitter, knocking in 33 home runs last year with 94 RBI. He is currently in the final year of a four-year, $30 million deal.
