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Robinson Cano

Steinbrenner On Cano, Girardi, Payroll, Free Agents

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Yankees co-owner Hal Steinbrenner talked to reporters (including Brian Costa of the Wall Street Journal) about a number of topics related to the club.  Here are some of the hot stove-related items….

  • The Yankees haven't had any "real significant dialogue" with Robinson Cano and agent Scott Boras about a contract extension.  Cano is a free agent next winter and said last month that he won't give the Yankees a "hometown discount" on a new deal.
  • There also doesn't appear to have been any talks between the Yankees and manager Joe Girardi about a new contract.  Girardi is heading into the last year of his three-year deal with New York.  The Yankees' reluctance to discuss contracts before they expire is well-known, as Steinbrenner explains that he is "not a big believer in extensions," though "there are exceptions to every rule."
  • The team's quest to get under the $189MM payroll limit by 2014 to avoid a major luxury tax payment isn't just a short-term goal, but rather about "being fiscally responsible" in general.  "I believe that you don’t have to have a $220 million payroll to win a world championship, and you shouldn’t have to," Steinbrenner said.
  • That said, Steinbrenner also left some room that the team's payroll could grow next year if the Yankees' young players don't perform as expected: "All I can continue to tell everyone is our commitment to the fans is never going to change. We will always field a championship-caliber team. Is our goal 189 [million] next year? Yes. But only if I’m convinced that the team I see we put together is a championship-caliber team."
  • Steinbrenner is pleased with the team's offseason, noting that Andy Pettitte, Ichiro Suzuki, Hiroki Kuroda were all re-signed and Kevin Youkilis was brought into the fold.  New York isn't done its winter shopping, as Steinbrenner said the Yankees "need another bat."  The Yankees have recently been linked to free agent outfielder Scott Hairston and Nationals first baseman Michael Morse.

Cano Will Not Give Yankees A Hometown Discount

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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.

Quick Hits: Giambi, Cano, Arencibia, Phillies, Angels

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Jason Giambi was a surprise candidate to become the Rockies' next manager, but now that the job has gone to Walt Weiss, the team has offered Giambi the job of hitting coach, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post.  Giambi had said he would continue playing if he wasn't hired as manager, though he's taking a few days to consider Colorado's offer.  If he turns it down and wants to keep playing, agent Joel Wolfe tells ESPN's Jerry Crasnick that "several teams" have shown interest in his client, who will be 42 years old on Opening Day.

Here are some more items from a very busy day around baseball…

Yankees Rumors: A-Rod, Rivera, Pettitte, Excel

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Earlier today we had some news on the Mets, now let's travel to the other side of town and check in on the Yankees…

Olney’s Latest: Cano, GM Meetings, Posey

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In a free preview of Insider, ESPN's Buster Olney writes that Yankees GM Brian Cashman is likely to take a surprisingly hard line during contract extension talks with Robinson Cano. That said, ownership could step in to make a deal happen like they have with Alex Rodriguez and Bernie Williams in the past. Here are the rest of Olney's rumors…

  • Two of the items on the GM Meetings agenda are instant replay and the next wave of PEDs. The latter is a growing concern within the game.
  • Olney lists Francisco Liriano, James Loney, Stephen Drew, and Melky Cabrera as players who could take a one-year contract this winter in an effort to rebuild value.
  • It would make sense for the Giants to explore a long-term extension for Buster Posey at some point this offseason. The backstop is all the way back from his ankle injury and could soon add an MVP to his two World Series rings and Rookie of the Year award.

Yankees Exercise Options For Aardsma, Cano, Granderson

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The Yankees announced that they have exercised the 2013 options for right-hander David Aardsma, second baseman Robinson Cano and outfielder Curtis Granderson.

Cano, 30, will earn $15MM next season. He hit .313/.379/.550 with a career-high 33 homers this season, his third straight year of MVP-caliber performance. Cano is due to become a free agent after next season and we recently heard that agent Scott Boras is seeking a ten-year contract at "top-of-the-market dollars" for the second baseman.

Granderson, 31, will also earn $15MM next year after triggering escalator clauses in his contract with last season's fourth place finish in the MVP voting. He hit .232/.319/.492 with 43 homers in 2012, his second consecutive season with 40+ dingers. GM Brian Cashman recently said he won't trade the outfielder in a reactionary move following his poor postseason showing.

The Yankees signed Aardsma to a one-year contract last offseason with an eye on 2013 since the right-hander was coming off Tommy John surgery. The 30-year-old threw just one inning in September after spending the summer rehabbing. Aardsma will make just $500K next season, with more available in incentives.

Olney On Braves, Cano, Otani

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The latest from ESPN.com’s Buster Olney…

  • Brian McCann’s $12MM option for 2013 no longer seems as appealing as it once did, Olney writes. The Braves are working to address many offseason needs with a modest payroll and McCann's recent shoulder surgery was more extensive than expected. Olney points out that the Braves could attempt to negotiate a deal at a lower salary or exercise the option and trade McCann to a team such as the Rangers or Yankees. Of course the Braves could simply bring the catcher back for another season in the hopes that his shoulder recovers.
  • Next year’s free agent class might be light on impact talent other than Robinson Cano, Olney writes. In general it probably doesn’t make sense to expect stacked free agent classes at a time that teams are locking up players to extensions that cover their prime years.
  • Japanese pitching prospect Shohei Otani intends to pursue a career in MLB, and a number of teams are interested in the hard-throwing right-hander. The Red Sox and Rangers “have done the most work in this arena,” according to Olney.

AL East Links: Cano, Farrell, Blue Jays, Ibanez

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On this date back in 2000, the Blue Jays gave Carlos Delgado the richest contract in baseball history in terms of average annual value, a four-year pact worth $17MM per year. Delgado hit .282/.405/.555 with 146 homers during the life of the deal. Here's the latest from his former division, the AL East…

Quick Hits: Beltran, Prospects, Cano, Nationals

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Chris Carpenter and Ryan Vogelsong will oppose one another at AT&T Park a few hours from now. Here are some links from around MLB to keep you entertained while waiting for the NLCS to resume…

  • Giants assistant general manager Bobby Evans told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that the team had approximately a dozen offseason conversations with Carlos Beltran's agent, Dan Lozano. That's a stark contrast from Beltran's statements, who said the two sides never talked. Shea speculates that Lozano didn't convey any of the communication to Beltran, who is of course, squaring off against his former teammates in the NLCS.
  • Matt Eddy of Baseball America has a rundown of 10 minor league deals that reaped significant Major League benefits, including Gregor Blanco, Brandon Moss and Quintin Berry.
  • Mets 2011 draftee Bradley Marquez will undergo surgery on his left knee after sustaining an injury playing football at Texas Tech, writes ESPN's Adam Rubin. The Mets allowed Marquez to continue playing football in order to facilitate the signing of their 11th-round selection.
  • Alex Rodriguez may be in the midst of a disappointing October, but at least he has a long-term contract in place. Robinson Cano, an offseason extension candidate, may have diminished his bargaining power by hitting poorly in the postseason, Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes. Plus, Rodriguez's struggles probably won't make the Yankees over-eager to spend a comparable amount on another struggling player.
  • The Nationals are set at every infield position but first base heading into the offseason, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post writes. Ian Desmond could be in line for an extension this offseason, and Kilgore suggests a six-year, $45MM contract could work for both sides. It sounds as though there's a good chance Adam LaRoche will re-sign in Washington, even if he declines his side of the mutual option on his contract.
  • Giants GM Brian Sabean said coaches Ron Wotus and Dave Righetti would be excellent managers given the opportunity, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter). Wotus is the Giants' bench coach and and Righetti is the team's pitching coach.

AL East Notes: MacPhail, Cano, Rays, Blue Jays

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Bobby Valentine has officially been dismissed, which means the Red Sox will embark on their second managerial search in as many years. GM Ben Cherington has said he hopes to conclude the search earlier this time. Here are some notes on Boston’s division rivals…

  • Former Orioles president Andy MacPhail told Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun that he's happy for the team’s fans, players and executives. He acknowledged that it "would have been a lot of fun" to be present for Baltimore's playoff run, but said he doesn't regret stepping down to spend time with his family. MacPhail said he's starting to think about working in baseball again and noted that, at 59 years old, he's "way too young" to do nothing. "I think there are a variety of things that would interest me," he told Connolly.
  • MacPhail noted that Dan Duquette has done an excellent job of finding starting pitching depth this year.
  • Executives suggest an extension for Robinson Cano could cost the Yankees $200MM, Yahoo’s Jeff Passan writes. The second baseman says he hasn’t “thought about anything," but the Yankees can’t allow him to hit free agency in Passan’s view. New York will exercise its $15MM option for Cano after the season, delaying his free agency until the end of the 2013 season.
  • Rays executive VP Andrew Friedman said he's "not going to be flippant" about Tampa Bay's impressive pitching depth this coming offseason, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. Friedman also said he expects to talk with Larry Reynolds, the agent for B.J. Upton, even though the sides aren't expected to agree to a new contract.
  • Mike Axisa rounded up the latest Red Sox-related rumors earlier today. Here's one more note from Boston: the Blue Jays would want “a decent player” in a deal for manager John Farrell, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reports.
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