Real Talk On Robbie Cano

(The king of smoove.  Courtesy of the NY Times)

Is he worthy of a 10-year contract?  Absolutely not.  Would I be happy if the Yankees re-signed him for that many years?  Absolutely not.

But is Robinson Cano worth top-of-the-market dollars?  Abso-fucking-lutely.  Check out what this guy has been doing:

• 6 straight seasons of 159+ games played
• 3 straight All Star Game appearances
• 2 Gold Gloves in the last 3 seasons
• 3 Top 10 batting average finishes in the last 4 seasons
• 4 straight Top 4 total bases finishes
• 3rd in total fWAR in the last 3 seasons
• 3 straight Silver Slugger Awards
• 3 straight Top 6 MVP finishes

There aren't many out there doing shit like this, and that's a fact.  Robinson Cano is one of the 4-6 best position players in all of baseball.  He's having a historically impressive run of production and success for his position, he could end up one of the best of all time at his position when he's done, and he's still in his prime.  Robbie Cano is going to get paid in a big way after the 2013 season because he SHOULD get paid in a big way.  If the Yankees signed him to a 5-year/$135 million deal, I'd throw a party because I'd feel very confident that at least 3 of those years are going to be more of this elite-level production.  It's those 5 years after the next 5 that scare me, just like they scare everybody in the front office.

It's not that Robbie Cano isn't a fucking boss, because he is.  It's that we're already watching what happens when players start to un-boss in their mid-30s with too many years left on their deals and don't want to watch it again.