In 2007 the New York Yankees were eliminated by the Cleveland Indians in the American League Divisional Series. That year the Boston Red Sox went on to win the World Series. The next season saw the Yankees miss the playoffs for the first time since the strike shortened year of 1994 which led to changes in the Bronx. After the 2008 Major League Baseball season the Yanks went on to shell out over $300 million in combined contracts to first baseman Mark Teixeira and starting pitchers A.J. Burnett and CC Sabathia. Many in the New York media questioned the moves by Yankees general manager Brian Cashman until the Bronx Bombers went on to win 103 games in the 2009 regular season en route to winning the World Series that October.
Since then the Yankees have remained as a playoff contender, but they have become an aging team that has been unable to get back to the World Series.
Coming into the 2013 MLB season, Cashman and the Yankees were looking to lock up second baseman Robinson Cano to a long-term deal. The Yankees signed Cano in 2001 as an amateur free agent from the Dominican Republic and he worked his way up through the organization. Many baseball pundits were shocked when both the Yankees and Cano were unable to work out a deal in spring training as the second baseman decided to play out the season and test the free agent waters. With aging players such as shortstop Derek Jeter and a possible suspension looming over the head of Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, Cano felt that he had leverage in getting Cashman along with Yankee owners Hank and Hal Steinbrenner to send a Brinks truck to his home, but that wasn’t the case.
Last summer the Red Sox locked up their second baseman Dustin Pedroia with an eight-year, $110 million contract which appeared to set the market for Cano. Cano then ditched longtime agent Scott Boras in favor of Roc Nation Sports which is led by rap mogul Jay-Z. Rumors quickly surfaced that Cano was looking for a 10-year deal for upwards of $300 million.
The Yankees are currently stuck with Rodriguez’s contract and they certainly would not be willing to commit for a decade to Cano; especially since his 31-years old. The Yankees were not willing to offer more than seven years that was attached to $170 million. The Steinbrenners held their stance as they were not going to be held hostage by Cano. That was evident when the Yankees signed former Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann to a five-year, $85 million contract last week which was followed by luring outfielder Jacoby Ellsubry away from the Red Sox with $153 million over the next seven years. The jury is still out as to whether or not the Yankees were attempting to show Cano that they were willing to put a team around him or were they simply showing him that they were not going to wait around for his services?
This week the Seattle Mariners emerged as players in the Cano sweepstakes as Jay-Z basically told the Yankees “show me what ya got”. The Mariners were looking to give Cano the decade long contract the he desired and they attached $240 million to it. Some will be surprised by the signing and some Yankee fans have already taken to social media to voice their displeasure for Cano. But in the end Cano walking away to the Pacific Northwest with Shawn Carter might work out in the end for the Yankees.
The Steinbrenners and Cashman were ready to commit at least $20 million per season to Cano for the next seven years, but the Yankees have needs at other positions as well. The Yankees needed a catcher and they signed one in McCann. After letting outfielder Curtis Granderson walk in free agency, the Yankees needed more depth in the outfield and now they’ll have Ellsbury in pinstripes. Along with Ellsbury, the Yankees signed outfielder Carlos Beltran to a three-year, $45 million deal yesterday before Cano could purchase real estate in Seattle. The Yankees are also in line to bolster their pitching staff that was eighth last season in the AL for team earned run average at 3.94. Sabathia has been the Yankees ace since he joined the team in 2009, but he is 33-years old and his 14-13 record last season with an earned run average of 4.78 are signs that he is beginning to break down after throwing at least 200 innings in each of the past seven seasons. The Yankees are on the verge of re-signing starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, but now they’ll have money to pursue another starting pitcher along with middle relievers for their bullpen.
In his nine seasons with the Yankees, Cano averaged 24 home runs and 97 runs batted in with a .309 batting average which the Yanks will scramble to replace. The Yankees need not to fret because the blueprint to handle situations such as Cano leaving has been created.
The St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series in 2011 and they then took on the task of re-signing first baseman Albert Pujols. The Cards offered Pujols a 10-year, $210 million deal, but he left to join the Los Angeles Angels who gave him $254 million over 10 years. The money that would have gone to Pujols was then used by the Cardinals to sign players such as Beltran and first baseman Lance Berkman. In 2012, the Angels went 89-73 while the Cardinals went 88-74, but St. Louis was able to qualify for the playoff while the Angels were not. Since Pujols signed with the Angels he has not returned to the playoffs while only hitting 47 home runs. On the flip side the Cardinals will head into the 2014 MLB season as the defending National League Champions.
The Yankees can rally their ship as they will look to remain relevant in the AL East as four teams had winning records last season. The Steinbrenners and Cashman were hopeful to re-sign Cano, but they were not holding their collective breaths on the matter. Times are changing in baseball as it is rare to see a home grown player from the Yankee organization leave in the prime of his career like Cano just did. With a weak farm system, the Yankees have to get creative to remain competitive in the AL East. But if there is a team that is up for the challenge, it will be the Yankees.
Source: Baseball-reference.com
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