Cashman Tells Cano The Score, Playfully

Robinson Cano said publicly a few days ago that he did not want to play third base.  As I noted at the time, it’s not really up to him.  If he wants to get paid, he’ll play where the Yankees want him to.  Another thought is that taking Cano out of the 3B mix could hurt the Yankees’ negotiating position slightly.  Brian Cashman would rather have teams and agents think he’s fully willing to move Cano to third or use Wilson Betemit.    It does ring a bit hollow, kind of like when Cashman was saying they’d use Bubba Crosby as the team’s center fielder a few years back.

Anyway, Cashman "playfully" informed Cano today that third base was indeed an option for him.  He made a point to appear lighthearted here, perhaps to avoid public conflict if he does move Cano.  I actually like the idea if the Yanks can make a reasonable deal for Orlando Hudson.