Robinson Cano is due to hit free agency after next season, and Mark Feinsand and Christian Red of The New York Daily News hear the second baseman will not give the Yankees a hometown discount. One source said Cano could seek a contract in line with Alex Rodriguez's.
"He’s not giving them a hometown discount, and they seem to be more interested in keeping their payroll down than winning," said one source while another added: “He knows he’s the best player on the Yankees … There’s no reason for him not to be paid that way.”
Cano, 30, hit .313/.379/.550 with a career-high 33 home runs this past season and has produced a .314/.365/.534 line with 115 homers over the last four seasons. He's also proven to be extremely durable, playing in no less than 159 games in each of the last six seasons.
The Yankees will have paid Cano a total of $57MM through next season as part of the extension he signed prior to 2008. They have upwards of $80MM slated to come off the books after 2013 but are trying to get under the $189MM luxury tax threshold in 2014 and don't figure to reinvest all of that into the team. Cano hired Scott Boras prior to 2011 and told the Daily News he would "love" to remain a Yankee, but added: "I know this is a business … It’s up to them."
I looked at Cano as an extension candidate back in April. Joel Sherman of The New York Post first reported last month that the second baseman would look for a market value deal after already signing one team-friendly contract.
