The New York Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs and that means another offseason awaits the boys in pinstripes and it might not be all smiles, as second baseman Robinson Cano is about to hit free agency and things could get expensive.
Cano is the best player on the Yankees by far and since the team developed and brought him up through their system, it's in their best interests to keep him, but naturally the big problem always comes down to money. The Yankees obviously have plenty of it, but after spending big on Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia, the team is trying to cut payroll, making it a tough decision whether to sign Cano if he is asking for over $200 million.
Another problem for the Yankees is the fact that there are teams out there that have no concerns for their money issues and will be willing to spend and some possibilities (but obviously none truly realistic yet because he is a free agent) could be the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets and even the Seattle Mariners if they are feeling frisky, as they have the money to spend. All those teams have the money to spend on a player like Cano and entering his age 31 season, he could be primed for even more production.
The Yankees have to weigh their options carefully, because while Cano is a great player, they cannot afford to have another contract workout like Rodriguez's, which is basically just an albatross sitting on the payroll. Cano is having another very good season while hitting over .310 with nearly 30 home runs to go along with over 100 RBIs and he will command a big contract, but one thing in the favor for the Yankees is the fact that he left Scott Boras. Everyone knows that Boras goes for every penny and any "hometown discount" the Yankees can hope for would be out the window with him calling the shots.
The Yankees obviously will have as good of a chance as anyone to sign him and they will get the first shot, but so far the signs are not good. According to ESPN.com, a couple weeks ago Yankees president Randy Levine spoke about Cano's impending free agency and said that while the team hopes to bring him back, he mentioned that Cano, just like everyone else is not a "re-sign at any cost player" and while that isn't saying that the team won't bring him back, it isn't a good sign considering what money other teams have to spend.
