The New York Yankees and Robinson Cano are said to be far apart in their negotiations for a long-term contract to keep the slugger with the team. There are probably a lot of reasons for that, but I’m guessing the fact that Cano is reportedly seeking a 10-year deal worth more than $300 million is probably causing the biggest holdup.
Cano recently left agent Scott Boras and joined Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports, but it sounds like his new agents do business the same way his old one did. According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, Cano is looking for $305 million over a 10-year period and is expected to take the highest offer he receives — either from the Yankees or some other team.
Cano is 30 years old and has been one of the best hitters in the American League for several years. He’s a career .306 hitter with tremendous power, though his power numbers are somewhat inflated by Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right field. A deal anywhere close to the $300 million range would dwarf the eight-year, $110 million contract that 30-year-old Dustin Pedroia — a career .301 hitter with much less power than Cano — signed with the Boston Red Sox earlier this season.
ESPN pointed out that $305 million would match the total value of Alex Rodriguez’s record-setting contract, should A-Rod meet all the incentives in the deal. Cano clearly feels as though he has earned the right to become the highest-paid player in the history of the game. However, the way the A-Rod saga turned out is likely to deter the Yankees or any other team from giving a player a deal of that magnitude.
Realistically, Cano is not going to get anything close to $300 million. The Red Sox are out of the running, leaving only a few teams (the Los Angeles Dodgers for one) who would be willing to get into a bidding war with the Yankees. Cano will only be worth as much as a team is willing to pay, which probably won’t be a record-breaking figure.
