Some figured that Robinson Cano's decision to join up with Jay-Z's agency venture would lead to a quick and smooth contract resolution with the Yankees, but that doesn't appear to be the case. While there's been some talk that the second baseman's people and the Yankees might pick up official contract talks sometime after the All-Star break, it's clear they are nowhere near a deal at this point, according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
Even if they talk, its not clear if they will have anything to talk about, making free agency a very likely outcome for Cano at this point. The Bombers are still far and away Cano's preference, but there's a very good chance he won't have a new deal with anyone until at least November or perhaps later. There's always an outside chance that either part or both could bend leading to a quick deal, but that would signal a major change in thinking.
Cano isn't talking about his contract publicly, but he has told friends that he'd like something in the neighborhood of a $275MM deal, reminiscent of Alex Rodriguez's deal. The Yankees aren't believed to be anywhere close to that, however, and at one point they suggested something closer to David Wright's eight-year, $138MM contract.
The second baseman is the top ranked free agent on Tim Dierkes' 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings. While he's still having a strong year, his numbers are down from his 2012 campaign in which he hit .313/.379/.550 with 33 homers.
