The New York Yankees won't wait forever for Robinson Cano to lower his contract demands, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPN. The team is still interested in bringing the second baseman back in 2014, but the two sides are apart by as much as $150 million and serious negotiations have not yet begun. Meanwhile, the Yankees have other needs to address and other free agents to pursue as they try to remain under a self-imposed $189 million salary cap in order to curb their luxury tax penalties.
Yankees won’t wait forever for Cano, eye Beltran
New York is still interested in bringing the second baseman back in 2014, but they have their eye on other free agents and won’t wait forever for Cano to lower his demands.
Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports
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Cano, who turned 31 in October, reportedly demanded a 10-year, $310 million contract in return for foregoing free agency. Now that he’s hit the market, it’s thought his expectations are lower, but how much lower is unknown. With many of the traditional big spenders being set at second base and the Yankees showing financial constraint for the first time in recent memory, he is having trouble finding enough serious suitors to create a bidding war for his services. Marchand revisits Yankees team president Randy Levine’s comments on the matter last week:
“We want Robbie back; we think Robbie is terrific,” Levine said. “But we have no interest in doing any 10-year deals and no interest in paying $300 million to any player. Until he gets a little more realistic, we have nothing to talk about.”
To further complicate matters, New York has already been active on the free agent market and figures to sign more players. The team inked catcher Brian McCann to a five-year, $85 million contract on Saturday, and Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports that they are going hard after outfielder Carlos Beltran. They see the 36-year-old as the best fit for their lineup among the available free agent pool, and Beltran has suggested that the Yankees are his top choice as well, reports Feinsand. The main difference in negotiations at the moment seems to be years -- the Yankees want to give him two, and Beltran wants three, says Feinsand. Whether or not they sign Beltran, though, the available money for a Cano contract decreases with each new free agent that the team brings aboard.
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