Robinson Cano Tracking Thread

[ThomasTomasz]

NEW YORK -- Another shot of reality potion, on the rocks, is what New York Yankees president Randy Levine has ordered for the representatives of Robinson Cano as agent Jay Z and his team are reportedly holding fast to their demand of a 10-year contract worth $310 million.

"We want Robbie back; we think Robbie is terrific," Levine said Tuesday in a telephone conversation with ESPNNewYork.com. "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.''

On Monday, ESPNNewYork.com reported that Cano's agents, Brodie Van Wagenen of CAA and hip-hip mogul Jay Z, were holding firm to their demand that Cano receive the richest contract in baseball history, surpassing the 10-year, $275 million deal -- with another potential $30 million in performance bonuses -- that the Yankees gave to Alex Rodriguez after he opted out of his existing contract following the 2007 season.

Levine's comments come on the heels of Jay Z meeting with New York Mets brass. The New York Post reported, and ESPN.com confirmed, that Jay Z met with chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon, general manager Sandy Alderson and assistant GM John Ricco for dinner Monday night to discuss the free agent.

A source told ESPN.com that the Mets were surprised the meeting leaked to the media so fast and understand that their interest could be leveraged to drive up Cano's asking price.

Levine's response echoed the words of Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner, who said in October that the Yankees were "not prepared'' to sign Cano to a 10-year deal.

Cano's agents seek to market him as "the next Michael Jordan," according to a New York Daily News report, citing unnamed sources.

The back and forth also is reminiscent of the 2010 contract negotiations with Derek Jeter, which turned ugly when a team official famously advised the Yankees captain to "drink the reality potion'' after his agents reportedly demanded a four-year deal worth between $23 million and $25 million a season.

Jay Z and CAA appear desperate in their bid to get a record deal for Robinson Cano as the Yankees are standing strong, Andrew Marchand writes. Blog

Jeter eventually signed a three-year deal worth $51 million, and he recently was given a one-year deal that will pay him $12 million for the 2014 season.

The Yankees have already made an offer to Cano, believed to be in the area of between five and seven years for around $160 million, an average of approximately $23 million a year.

Levine was reached early Tuesday at his Manhattan office. He was to testify later in the day in the Rodriguez arbitration hearing.

"Signing Robbie is a priority for us,'' said Levine, who said Yankees GM Brian Cashman was also "engaged'' in discussions with "five or six other free agents,'' including infielders Jhonny Peralta and Stephen Drew, both of whom could fill in for Cano at second base, as well as outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Shin-Soo Choo and catcher Brian McCann.

Sources also say they are in on Carlos Beltran.

"We're very active,'' Levine said. "But whoever we sign has got to make sense for us. We made Robbie a very competitive offer.''

Cano's representatives did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/sto...son-cano-return-not-going-pay-300-million-him

:lol:

Might as well just spend that money on Choo, Ellsbury and McCann at this point. How we've gotten to $300 million guaranteed contracts in sports is crazy though.

 

[Houston]

:cano:

 

[Lanteri]

I really hope no one gives in to these ridiculous demands. GMs need to take a stand against this kind of bullshit. Refuse to talk to these players and their agents until they come in with something realistic.

 

[Villain]

Yeah I remember this stupid number being thrown out this summer. My reaction is the same: you cal "want" 300 million but you're only going to get whatever the Yankees give you.

Can we all agree that there's nowhere else to go?

 

[ThomasTomasz]

Yeah I remember this stupid number being thrown out this summer. My reaction is the same: you cal "want" 300 million but you're only going to get whatever the Yankees give you.

Can we all agree that there's nowhere else to go?

There's nowhere else to go for over $150 million. Cano is great and all, but he's also 31 and playing 2B, where a drop-off defensively is going to happen soon. Even $150 million is pushing it, and that's the Yankees taking care of their own.

 

[Chrispy]

lease: :no:

 

[dell71]

There's nowhere else to go for over $150 million. Cano is great and all, but he's also 31 and playing 2B, where a drop-off defensively is going to happen soon. Even $150 million is pushing it, and that's the Yankees taking care of their own.

Yeah, the day of 31 year olds getting 10 year deals seems to be over now that the game is "clean." I'd love to hear what kind of money the Mets were talking, though.

I love Cano, but the idea that he could be marketed as the next Michael Jordan...well...Mike said it best...

 

[ThomasTomasz]

Yeah, the day of 31 year olds getting 10 year deals seems to be over now that the game is "clean." I'd love to hear what kind of money the Mets were talking, though.

I love Cano, but the idea that he could be marketed as the next Michael Jordan...well...Mike said it best...

Jay Z needs to learn to be reasonable. By saying that, he is not doing his current and potential clients any favors.

Mets were likely talking a deal similar to what they gave Jose Reyes would be my guess.

 

[ThomasTomasz]

For the third consecutive day, the Yankees and representatives for Robinson Cano met on Wednesday. They remain far apart on contract terms, reports Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. The two sides will break for Thanksgiving and meet again next week.

According to Feinsand, Cano's camp lowered their demands "very slightly." He was said to be seeking a ten-year contract worth $310 million earlier this year while the team countered with seven years and $161 million. Sounds like the two sides still have a pretty significant gap to bridge.

Cano, 31, hit .314/.383/.516 (145 OPS+) with 27 home runs and 107 RBI this season. He leads all position players with 29.7 WAR over the last four seasons. Cano is clearly the best free agent available and he will certaintly sign a massive contract at some point, but $300 or so million just isn't going to happen.

The Yankees, meanwhile, have already signed Brian McCann and remain in the hunt for Carlos Beltran. They're expected to be big players for Masahiro Tanaka as well. Given their well-known desire to get under the $189 million luxury tax threshold, it's unlikely they will wait around all winter for Cano before addressing other roster holes.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on...s-cano-meet-again-demands-lower-very-slightly

 

[ThomasTomasz]

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/writer...ion-request-leaves-100m-gap-yanks-not-waiting

So Cano has "lowered" his demands to $260 million, still an absurd amount. Just to make a point the Yankees should move on and see how much that price drops to the next bidder.

 

[PP]

Move on and let another idiot owner pay him. Teams have to stop handing out these absurd contracts.

 

[Villain]

I think I saw that the Yankees were looking more into the 160 million range for him. I'd be surprised if another team was willing to go higher.

 

[ThomasTomasz]

As my colleague Jon Heyman reported Sunday, the Yankees and this offseason's top free agent, Robinson Cano, are about $100 million apart in negotiations and the Yankees aren't going to wait around in filling holes with their money. Thus, the window would appear to be open for another bidder, should said bidder be willing to go over $200 million total.

Might that potential bidder be the Seattle Mariners? They've been mentioned at least in passing with Cano thus far in the offseason and for years have been desperately trying to buy offense.

But nothing has been as strong as this report to date, via ESPN New York:

The Seattle Mariners have emerged as major players in the sweepstakes for free agent Robinson Cano, according to several sources who spoke to ESPNNewYork.com on Tuesday on the condition of anonymity.
Further, the report states the Yankees now believe their chances of keeping Cano are "less than 50-50."

Don't expect things to be solved on Cano's front for a while this offseason, as it seems that his preferences are to both break the bank and remain with the Yankees. Thus, no stone will be left unturned in trying to get the deep-pocketed Yankees to ante up.

Still, this is definitely an intriguing movement, as landing Cano would be a huge step for the annually anemic Seattle offense.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on...ariners-become-major-player-for-robinson-cano

Looking more doubtful after the Ellsbury signing that Cano will be back with the Yankees, but I also imagine he wants to stay relevant. I have to believe his camp will use the Mariners to raise negotiations with other teams.

 

[dave]

Ellsbury signing was incredibly stupid on the Yankees part, but the potential Cano signing in Seattle is just as insane. Yankees sign a guy they don't really need, Mariners way overpay a guy who's gonna make them feel really stupid in two or three years...

 

[Golden Taters]

$200mil is a lot for him, but I suppose the only way Seattle can attract a great hitter is to give up this kind of cash.

 

[MVPete]

Please do this Mariners, if the Seahawks can do it so can you :sex:.

 

[Villain]

Fuck you, Seattle. You're supposed to trade way too much for Andre Ethier.

 

[Golden Taters]

Fuck you, Seattle. You're supposed to trade way too much for Andre Ethier.

You act like the Mariners have players other teams might want.

 

[Villain]

You act like the Mariners have players other teams might want.

We'll pay for 100% Ethier if you give us older Seager and Walker :lalala:

 

[Villain]

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/12/mariners-willing-to-pay-cano-230-240mm.html

Mariners Willing To Pay Cano $230-240MM

5:15pm: Cano asked the Mariners for a ten-year, $240MM deal, but the Mariners' offer did not exceed $200MM, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweets.

3:21pm: Robinson Cano flew to Seattle to meet with the Mariners in person today, and the team has informed him that they are willing to pay as much as $230-240MM on a ten-year contract, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com (Spanish link).

It was reported yesterday that the Mariners may have topped the Yankees' offer of roughly $170MM, but if true, the reported $230-240MM offer would shatter the Yankees' highest bid. The Mariners met with Cano's representatives on Tuesday, according to multiple reports, but this appears to be the first instance of Cano traveling to Seattle to meet with club officials.

Cano and agents Jay-Z of Roc Nation Sports and Brodie Van Wagenen of CAA are said to be seeking something in the neighborhood of $252MM. The Yankees reportedly will not offer Cano more than $200MM, and in the wake of that news, the offense-starved Mariners appear to have emerged as major players in the Cano sweepstakes.

:natsplayoffs: