Welcoming Back Robbie Cano

(Dude is rocking some sweet facial hair.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

Does it feel like Robinson Cano has been gone for a really long time to anybody else?  In reality, he's been a non-Yankee for less than a month of his career, but it feels like he's been away forever to me.  He'll make his first trip back to The Stadium tonight when the Mariners come to town for a 3-game series, his first appearance back in front of the Yankee faithful since choosing Seattle and their 3 more years of guaranteed money over the Yankees and their 7-year offer.  Most of the beat guys are trying to stir the pot by writing and tweeting about how the fans should react during Cano's first plate appearance tonight, but to me it's a non-issue.  There's really only one acceptable option for how to treat Cano tonight.

Cue The Robbie Cano Smear Campaign

Via George King's report on the new Cano deal:

"According to three people who know Cano, he didn’t enjoy playing for manager Joe Girardi and that may have factored into the decision, though the Mariners giving him $60 million more than the Yankees offered ($175 million) likely had more to do with him leaving. ...

'He told me he didn’t want to play for [Girardi],' a friend of Cano’s said."

Come on, guys.  Do we really have to take the Boston route on this one and trash the guy now that he's on his way out of town?  Have a little class.  He was a great player while he was here, he did a lot of great things for the Yankees while he was in pinstripes, and he did exactly what any of us would have done if we had that kind of money on the table.  Like I said yesterday, it was strictly a business decision for both sides and there's nothing wrong with that.  Don't make it personal when it doesn't need to be.

Robinson Cano Leaving Thoughts & Afterthoughts

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

It still doesn't feel completely real to me.  After 9 years, over 1,300 regular season games, 1,649 hits, 204 home runs, 5 All Star Game selections, 5 Silver Slugger Awards, 4 straight top 6 MVP finishes, 2 Gold Gloves, and 1 World Series ring, Robinson Cano's Yankee career is over.  The last great homegrown prospect, and the first Yankee since Andy Pettitte to come up through the organization and leave for another team via free agency, Cano agreed to a 10-year/$240 million deal with the Seattle Mariners yesterday.  His physical, which he will undoubtedly pass, is scheduled for some time this weekend and the Mariners are set to introduce him at a press conference on Monday.

The one player I thought the Yankees absolutely had to sign, regardless of what else they did this offseason, and the one player I thought they absolutely would sign is gone.  The Yankees have lost their best player and they now have a helluva lot more work to do this offseason to replace him.  My thoughts on the deal, Cano's decision, the Yankees' strategy, and where they go from here after the jump.

Cano Agrees To 10-Year Deal With Mariners (UPDATED)

deal for cano and mariners is $240M, 10 years according to @Enrique_Rojas1. can confirm it's agreed to.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 6, 2013

Well there you have it.  After the broken down talks made it look like he was going to come crawling back to the Yankees, Robinson Cano has agreed to a 10-year/$240 million deal with the Seattle Mariners.  Jay-Z's negotiating ploy worked and it was the Mariners who came crawling back with a deal closer to what Cano's side was asking for.

A physical is scheduled for this weekend and a press conference Monday, so this things sounds legit.  I'm really surprised.  I thought the extra demand would scare the Mariners away.  The Yankees lose a big piece of their plans for next year and the loss of Cano's production will be almost impossible to replace.  The value of adding McCann and Ellsbury takes a hit, at least for now, and the Yankees will have to move forward with whatever backup plans they had in the works.  We already know Kelly Johnson was a part of it.

More on this as it becomes available.

** UPDATE 10:45 AM- Via Joel Sherman, the Yankees let Cano know they would be willing to go 7/175, but that still wasn't anywhere near the total dollars of the Mariners' offer. **

Report: Cano-Mariners Talks Break Off (UPDATED)

You know that desperation I mentioned a few hours ago?  Yeah, looks like that's all it was.  As first reported by Mark Feinsand, talks between the Seattle Mariners and Robinson Cano fell apart last night after Jay-Z changed the contract demands.  The Mariners were under the impression that Cano and his team were coming out to agree to the 9-year/$225 million offer only to be surprised and apparently angered when Jay-Z countered with a request for 10 years/$252 million.

There's no word on whether or not talks are expected to pick back up over the weekend or if the original Seattle offer is still on the table, but I can't imagine this will do anything to help Cano's case on the market.  Right now this looks like another attempt by his people to drudge up some competition and gain leverage in their talks with the Yankees and right now it looks like it's failed.  If other teams think Cano isn't willing to take 9/$225 mil to leave New York, why would they even bother making an offer that beats that?  The impression being given off is that Cano truly wants to stay with the Yankees, and now he might end up having to take their latest deal (7/170) to do it.

** UPDATE 9:56 AM- Talks are "still alive" according to Ken Rosenthal, and a deal for more than $225 million is "close" according to Jon Heyman.  It's gonna be a fun afternoon ... **

Friday Morning Food For Thought

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

- Robinson Cano's career batting line at Safeco Field: .309/.350/.487 in 163 PA

- Cano's career line at YS3: .312/.368/.537 in 1,681 PA

- Cano hit 27 home runs last year.  According to ESPN's HR tracker, only 1 of them wouldn't have made it out of Safeco Field.

This whole "Robbie to Seattle" thing reeks of desperation to me, from both sides.  Cano and his agents are desperate to get another team involved so they can try to put some counter pressure on the Yankees to budge from their offer.  Seattle is desperate to add some offense and become relevant in the baseball world again, and they are because it's their GM's final year and he needs to make a splash to save his job.

Cano's offense would take a hit playing half of every season in Safeco, but maybe not quite the hit you'd expect.  He'd instantly become "the man" on the Mariners next year and could easily become the face of that franchise.  How much is that really worth though?  And is it worth it to be the face of a franchise that nobody cares about if the Mariners don't get any better?  I'm still holding my stance that I need to know that the Mariners have made an offer before I start getting concerned about Cano leaving.  If they really are going to make this 9-year/$225 million one, Robbie will have a real tough choice to make.

The Ellsbury-Cano-Boras Connection

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

A little over 7 months ago, Robinson Cano decided that Scott Boras wasn't the right fit for him heading into free agency.  He ditched Boras and signed on with the then newly created Roc Nation Sports firm headed up by Jay-Z.  Last night, Boras got a 7-year/$153 million contract for one of his other clients, Jacoby Ellsbury, and he got it from the Yankees.  It's the 3rd highest contract ever given to a free agent outfielder and it comes with an option for an 8th year that could bring the total value to $169 million.

To be honest, I still don't know how I feel about the Ellsbury signing.  At first glance I'm not a fan of the years or the dollars but I'm smart enough to recognize how great he's been when he's been healthy.  I need a few more hours awake today to really put all my thoughts together on how this fits from a baseball perspective.  The one thing that does keep rattling around in my head right now is what the Ellsbury signing means for Cano.  It certainly doesn't him off the table for the Yanks.  They still have plenty of money to spend right now, as shown by Mike E. last night, and I still firmly believe Cano will re-sign with them.  If you'll allow me to put on my Jim Garrison hat for a few minutes, here's my quick little theory on how this move to sign Ellsbury could actually be a part of the Yankees' strategy with Cano.

Cano Lowers His Asking Price

Don't get too excited because it's not by much.  But after tabling talks until Monday, a report is out on the latest offer from Robinson Cano's side.  According to Ken Davidoff of The Post, Cano's agents turned in a new proposal for a 9-year deal worth between $250-260 million during the last meeting this past week.  This is down slightly from the initial 10/$310 mil figures that were submitted in May.

To their credit, the Yankees reportedly stood firm to their 7-year/$160-175 million offer and they have no reason to budge from that without another team getting involved.  This new counter offer from the Cano camp signals them coming to terms with the reality of his market, although their new proposed offer would still put him in the high 20s per year in terms of AAV and that's still a very high price for a player already in his 30s.  If the Yankees stand pat on their side when talks start up again tomorrow, chances are we'll be reading about Cano's team lowering their figures again at some point.

See Ya Monday...

According to source, the $310M demand from Cano's side remained until Tuesday, though it was lowered "very slightly." Sides still far apart.
— Mark Feinsand (@FeinsandNYDN) November 27, 2013

 That tweet came on the heels of Feinsand reporting that the 2 sides spoke today but did not meet.  Doesn't sound like this week's discussions led to much progress, but that really doesn't come as much of a surprise.  There's no reason for Cano's side to lower their asking price significantly this early in the game and there's no reason for the Yankees to raise their offer at all knowing they're still the only team who's made one.

Sooner or later, somebody will have to blink and right now the Yankees are still in the more favorable position.  Let's see where the talks go next week.

Yanks Put Cano On The Clock

(Tick-tock, fellas.  Courtesy of Getty Images)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

It's not quite Brian Cashman telling Derek Jeter to go out and find a better offer like he did in 2010, but the Yankees' approach with Robinson Cano this offseason continues to be one of tough love and smart business. They've said all along that they want him back, they've made what they consider a fair offer, they've clearly stated what amount of time and money they aren't willing to go to, and they've spent time engaging backup plans should Cano and his team decide they aren't willing to work with the Yankees' numbers.

It certainly appears as if the Yankees are determined not to repeat their past mistakes of bidding against themselves and overpaying for their own free agents, and if that's the case then it's a lesson I think we're all glad they've finally learned.  The latest chapter in the story, courtesy of Andrew Marchand, had the Yankee brass meeting with Cano's agents yesterday to essentially put a time limit on the offer they've already extended.  According to Marchand's source, "the Yankees feel they only have so much wiggle room" above their initial contract offer and they are willing to pull it off the table to prevent the stalled talks with Cano from delaying the rest of their offseason plans.

Report: No Progress On The Cano Contract Talks

The Yankees made a qualifying offer to Robinson Cano on Monday.  He has until next Monday to make a decision on it, which will 100% assuredly be a decision to decline.  Other than that it's been all quiet on the Cano contract front with not a lick of new information, from the Yankee side, the Cano side, or from the rest of MLB.  Maybe it's just me, but that seems a tad strange for the premiere position player in this year's free agent crop.

According to Dan Martin, there has been "no recent movement involving Cano and the Yankees."  This comes over a month after both sides made waves in the media with their reported asking prices and offers and over 2 weeks after the Dodgers apparently took themselves out of the running by signing Cuban infielder Alexander Guerrero.  It's still very early but the market for Cano hasn't come together at all, something that may work in the Yankees' favor.  The longer it goes without any other teams getting in the mix, the more leverage the Yankees should gain in trying to re-sign Cano to something closer to their desired 7-year/$161 million deal.

Robbie Cano Wins His 4th Straight Silver Slugger

(Courtesy of USA Today Sports)

And 5th in his career.  Led all AL second baseman in games played (160), batting average (.314), OBP (.383), SLG (.516), wOBA (.384), wRC+ (142), HR (27), RBI (107), intentional BB (16), fWAR (6.0), and bWAR (7.6).  Ho-hum.  I'd say he earned that new watch.

Yanks Suddenly Have All The Leverage In The Cano Contract Talk

(Hopefully money ain't too much of a thang for Robbie.  Because he isn't getting anything close to $300 mil now.  Courtesy of Cano's Twitter)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

It's been a little under a month since Robinson Cano and his camp came out with their initial contract figures.  That A-Rod-ian 10 year/$305 million proposal was met with a hefty chunk of scorn from the Yankee fanbase and blogosphere and relative silence from the Yankees, who simply referred back to the offer they made Cano earlier in the year - 7 years/$161 million - as their starting point for negotiations.  The most we've heard since last month was Hal reiterating on his recent media tour that the Yankees would not be willing to go 10 years for Cano, which would be a wise move considering the mess they're in with the A-Rod contract.  Other than that it's been all quiet on the Cano front.  Somehow, in the midst of all the silence between the 2 sides, the Yankees have seemingly made a big gain in the leverage department and are now in the driver's seat heading into the official start of free agency.

2013 Storylines Review: All About Robinson Cano

(Courtesy of Corey Sipkin/NY Daily News)

When you're a flashy, talented, good-looking middle infielder in his early 30s playing in New York, chances are you're going to be the man.  That's the makeup of Robinson Cano, and under a different set of circumstances he would probably be the king of New York.  Unfortunately for him, he's come up in the Yankee organization during the Core Four Era and he's always been somewhat overshadowed by those players and the other bigger names and bigger contracts that have been brought in.

All that started to change a few years ago when those bigger names started to hit their mid-30s decline and Cano started to be recognized for his true talent.  Over the past few seasons he's risen up to be recognized as the best second baseman in baseball and one of the best all-around players in the game, and that upward trend hit its peak this season as he entered the final year of his current contract.  Cano could be the key to the Yankees' future as they move away from the Core Four years, and as the top potential free agent on the market this coming offseason he finally forced his way into the spotlight.

Monday Morning Food For Thought

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Robinson Cano vs. LHP 2010: .369 wOBA, 13 HR, 13.0% K rate
Cano vs. LHP 2011: .375 wOBA, 8 HR, 13.9% K rate
Cano vs. LHP 2012: .290 wOBA, 6 HR, 17.5% K rate
Cano vs. LHP 2013: .343 wOBA, 7 HR, 16.5% K rate

2012 was brutal, 2013 was a nice bounce back but still not up to his usual standards.  What do those last 2 years say about Robbie's production against southpaws moving forward?

AB4AR's 2013 Yankees End-Of-Season Awards

I'd like to come up with another intro recapping the ups and downs of the season, but honestly, we all know how it went and we don't need to be reminded of it again.  Let's just cut to the chase.  After the jump, AB4AR is proud to present its winners of the 2013 seasonal awards.

2013 AB4AR "Best Of The Month" Awards: September 2013

There was hope.  After 5 months of mostly bad baseball, there was still hope for a late Yankee playoff run in September, hope that they themselves helped inspire with a 17-12 run from mid-August to mid-September.  But in the end everything that plagued them in the first 5 months came back to kill the hope in the final 2+ weeks of the regular season.  Injuries, extended stretches of dormant offense, and to put it mildly, incredibly uneven starting and relief pitching.  The Yankees went 6-9 in their final 15 games of the season, including 2 separate 4-game losing streaks, to eliminate themselves from postseason contention and render the final handful of games meaningless, save for the career celebrations of Mo and Andy.

It was a long season, one with more bad than good.  But there were still some noteworthy performances in September, and after the jump you can check out the final batch of monthly AB4AR awards honoring those performances.

Let's All Calm Down About The Reported Cano Contract Figures

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

With the season unofficially over as of last night, the focus has already shifted to the upcoming offseason and all the things the Yankees are going to have to address while building their 2014 roster.  The obvious number 1 topic of discussion on that list is Robinson Cano's free agency and what the Yankees will or won't be willing to pay to retain him.  That stayed quiet for the majority of the regular season, but business started picking up this morning when reports of a 10-year/$300 million proposal from Cano's camp came out.

Via Buster Olney (Insider only), the numbers are actually 10 years and $305 million, the total value of Alex Rodriguez's contract with the HR escalator bonuses included.  David Waldstein reported that the Yankees made an offer of 7 years/$161 mil earlier in the season and the distance between those 2 figures has set off a ton of talk around the Yankosphere about what it all means and what the Yankees should do.  Before things get too out of control, I'd like to offer a simple reminder to everyone who's concerned about the numbers.  Relax.  This is how it works.  It's each side making their first offer as part of a negotiation and there's no reason to get worked up.

On Robbie Cano's 2013 MVP Candidacy

(Courtesy of the AP)

Robinson Cano has finished in the top 6 of the American League MVP voting in each of the last 3 seasons.  With a high of 3rd in 2010 and a low of 6th the next year, Cano has never been a true leading contender for MVP despite consistently being the best player at a premium position on a perennial playoff team.  Part of this is due to the ever-present MSM bias against the Yankees when it comes to awards and part of it is because there were always clear cut better candidates.  Overall, I'd say Cano has finished about where he should each year, with the general ranking maybe coming in a tick low.

Which brings us to 2013.  Cano is once again not the leading candidate and not seriously in the discussion as the best or most valuable player in the league, but he's right in the mix.  He's also not part of the traditional Yankee regular season machine that steamrolls everybody.  He's been the linchpin holding a borderline terrible baseball team together, a team that is somehow still mathematically in the playoff race with 11 games to go despite a -17 run differential.  If ever there was a time where his contributions were more valuable to his team, it's this season.  That being what it is, and his stats being what they are, where does Robbie fit into the AL MVP race?

Timing Is Perfect For Another Robbie Cano Tear

(Courtesy of the AP)

It was a great day at the ballpark for Robinson Cano yesterday.  He had 6 hits and 5 RBI in the 2 games, the biggest overall offensive contributor to the team's doubleheader sweep.  The strong 2-game showing continued a very strong 10-game stretch for Cano that has contributed to August being his best offensive month to date (.397/.481/.559 in 79 PA).  Robbie has 21 hits in his last 10 games (5 for extra bases), 7 R scored, 8 RBI, and more walks than strikeouts (4 to 3).  He's raised his season batting line back up to .308/.390/.510 and has dragged the Yankees back into the tail end of the playoff race in the process.  All signs point to another big Robbie hot streak on the horizon, and the stage is set perfectly for him to finish his season and head into free agency on a high note.