Can the Yankees make a quick deal with Cano?

Hal Steinbrenner finally came out of his castle to address the latest Alex Rodriguez drama (more on that in another blog post), but far more interesting to me is his revelation that discussions have already started to make Robinson Cano a lifelong member of the New York Yankees.

I’ve been growing increasingly pessimistic about the Yankees chances to sign Cano to a long-term deal that works for both sides ever since the Yankees second baseman hired agent Scott Boras. A major reason for this pessimism has been the Yankees’ apparently firm commitment to get below that $189 million threshold. It’s going to be incredibly difficult for the Yankees to maintain that mindset if they want to sign Cano, one of the best young players in the game of baseball, given the dollar amount Boras is likely to demand. Unless the Yankees somehow free themselves from the grasp of ARod’s suffocating contract, I don’t see how they can sign Cano and still field a competitive team (sorry, Curtis Granderson).

But Steinbrenner seemed surprisingly optimistic about the ability to sign Cano, with the Yankees owner even revealing that the Yankees were willing to break their custom of waiting until their players hit free agency to agree to contract terms. The Yankees have stuck firm to this policy in recent years, even with their future Hall of Famers Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. But I suspect Steinbrenner realizes that waiting while Cano has another big year in 2013 is going to drive the price even higher than it already is in Boras’ mind.

The two sides may still be very far apart in these negotiations and may not be able to reach a deal before Cano hits free agency. But the fact that they are talking gives me hope.

Sigh of relief as Mo will return to Yankees

I’m breathing a huge sigh of relief now that Mariano Rivera has decided he will return to the New York Yankees for at least one more year.

In my heart, I know that the day will come when Mo decides to hang up his spikes and go home to his family for good. But I’m not quite ready for that so I anxiously awaited word about whether Mariano would call it quits or come back to close games for the only team he has ever played for.

All Brian Cashman was waiting for was Mo’s decision. Now that Mo has made that choice, Cashman has indicated that he and Mariano’s agent will move quickly to finalize a new deal for the Yankees legendary closer. Mo’s return from his devastating injury does not appear to be a major obstacle as Joe Girardi & Co were pleased with the progress Mariano was making in his rehab. Mo’s last contract negotiations also went so smoothly, they were over before you could even blink, namely because Mariano, probably generous to a fault, had no desire to squeeze every last dollar from the Yankees, even though he had so much leverage over his team (including competing interest from the Boston Red Sox).

Mo’s return warms my heart, but Scott Boras probably didn’t have the same feelings of joy when he heard the news. Boras would have had tremendous leverage to negotiate a rich, multi-year deal for his client Rafael Soriano had Mariano decided to retire. But the chances of Soriano staying with the Yankees took a significant hit once Mo decided to come back. Hal Steinbrenner seems determined to get to that $189 million payroll threshold, which means he will not be able to pay both Rivera and Soriano $14-$15 million each. He’s going to have to choose one and Cashman’s public eagerness to work up a new deal for Mo tells me the Yankees have already made their choice.

Not that there’s much of a choice to be made. Soriano filled in nicely and I wish him well, but there is only one Mariano Rivera and he will be back where he belongs next year, on a mound for the New York Yankees. 

Game on for Yankees and Rafael Soriano

Rafael Soriano officially opted out of his contract with the New York Yankees yesterday. That means the chess game between his camp and the Evil Empire (I’ve always loved that nickname) starts now.

I can’t blame Soriano for wanting a richer deal after the year he had, seamlessly stepping into Mariano Rivera’s legendary shoes to help the Yankees clinch the American League East title. But unlike during his last free agency, Soriano and his agent Scott Boras should not expect a last-minute lucrative offer from the Yankees to bail them out.

When Hal Steinbrenner signed Soriano, he did so over the objections of general manager Brian Cashman, who thought it was a mistake to lose a draft pick to sign Soriano as a set-up man and openly said so. I doubt Steinbrenner is going to overrule Cashman this time around, especially if he expects the general manager to meet his mandate to cut payroll to that $189 million threshold and avoid the penalties that would come due under the new collective bargaining agreement. The Yankees don’t have a lot of payroll flexibility and letting Soriano walk away would help reduce their salary commitments.

But Soriano and Boras do have the leverage of uncertainty surrounding Mariano Rivera, both on his desire to pitch for another year and his recovery from a devastating knee injury. It’s still unclear what Mo’s plans are and while I hope he returns to the Yankees, Cashman & Co might be worried about not having a closer if he ultimately decides to retire and may give in to Boras demands.

These negotiations will be fascinating. Let the battle begin!

Random Yankee thoughts

Dallas Braden found out yesterday that indifference is the worst form of cruelty. Braden was expecting to be mercilessly booed by the New York Yankees faithful during his Thursday start. Instead, he was greeted with a collective yawn as Yankee fans couldn't muster much contempt in their hearts for Mr. Perfect, to his utter disappointment. No doubt the matchup would have had a lot more juice if Alex Rodriguez was in the lineup (and dared to try to cross Braden’s mound again), but it was not meant to be.

* I'm very glad to see that Jorge Posada apologized to umpire Dana DeMuth for his world-class meltdown at the plate Wednesday evening. No question the umpire blew the strike-three call (an umpire blowing a call: shocking!), but Posada's tirade was completely inappropriate and left me wincing as he pointed to the spot where the pitch was to demonstrate just how far outside it was. If Posada's outburst had happened a day earlier, the Yankees would have been in a real bad spot, with poor Ramiro Pena likely taking over as catcher after Posada's ejection, but luckily the Yankees were able to call up another catcher prior to the game due to baseball’s expanded rosters. I hope Joe Girardi made that point in a way Posada understands because for all his fire, which Yankee fans love, Posada is prone to head-scratching tantrums that could one day end up costing his team dearly.

* It's hard to feel sorry for Scott Boras for getting dumped by ARod. He will still get his cut of the third baseman's $275 million plus contract with the Yankees. For Boras, the blow to his ego from being rejected by his star client is probably the worst part.

* CC Sabathia's mom Margie has gotten a lot of attention recently, winning the Little League Parent of the Year award when her son is well on his way to a second Cy Young award and his first 20-win season. It used to be Derek Jeter's mother and father that were the most visible, with televisions eager to cut to the shortstop's proud parents anytime he was on base or made a nice play, but they have not been seen on camera much recently. Margie has stiff competition for the title of most famous Yankee parent from Dori and Phil Hughes Sr. They did a fun post-game interview with Kim Jones after their son PJ nearly no-hit the Oakland A’s and proudly gave fans a tour of their house, including PJ’s bedroom and his bobble-head collection, and introduced us to his dog Max.

Worst moves of baseball offseason

This was an easier list to compile because several teams made questionable decisions, starting with the New York Yankees cross-town rivals:

1) Mets strange offseason moves: Under tremendous pressure to redeem themselves after a lost 2009 season, the Mets made a good move signing Jason Bay to the deal they wanted rather than on his terms. But everything fell apart after that. Defying conventional wisdom, catcher Bengie Molina dissed the Mets to resign with the San Francisco Giants. But the most embarrassing, head-scratching move was the Carlos Beltran surgery debacle. Getting into a nasty, public dispute with one of your best players is unwise and a true reflection of the behind-the-scenes dysfunctionality that prevented the Mets from really fixing their ballclub.

2) The Yankees letting both Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui walk: Yes, Brian Cashman fulfilled his stated desire to get younger, but he did so by letting two clutch performers who perfectly fit their roles with the team walk away. He didn't even put up a fight to keep Matsui, signing another injury-plagued player, Nick Johnson, to replace him without saving much money. Damon is going to end up signing with another team for about the same dollars he could have gotten from the Yanks so that's partly on him and Scott Boras, but the team could have been a little more flexible in those negotiations. I just hope Johnson and Curtis Granderson can fill those big shoes.

3) Phillies trading Cliff Lee: When I heard the Phils got Roy Halladay, I thought they would be unbeatable, until I heard they gave up Lee as part of the multi-team trade to get him. They cited a need to replenish their minor league system, but I think they blew a major chance to dominate the National League for the next five years. Lee was incredible during the 2009 playoffs and will make a nice free-agent target for the Yankees, unless Seattle locks him up first.

Thanks to Wknight94 via Wikipedia for the photo.