Robbie loves Seattle. He loves the weather. He loves the people. He loves the way the sunset glistens off their auburn hair. He loves the silly things they do. He's not coming back to New York. Boo-hoo.
Honestly, I don't know what to make of this recent Robbie flap. It started with former Seattle coach Andy Van Slyke making make an unbridled, unsolicited attack - something that never happened in NY, even after Robbie jumped ship. (At one point, Kevin Long said he had talked with Robbie about jogging out grounders, but that paled compared to Van Slyke's angry put-down, which blamed Robbie for Seattle's bad season and the firing of the manager.) A few bloggers defended Robbie, but it wasn't exactly Winston Churchill rallying the allies. (Keep in mind that this is probably the slowest news week on the baseball calendar.) The Daily News' John Harper ginned up rumors that Cano wants out - a report that, frankly, Cano HAD to refute, unless he wants to hear more furious words in the deep dark woods.
Who knows what Cano is thinking? But his long flies aren't carrying in Seattle, as they did in Yankee Stadium. He's 33, chunking up around the hips, increasingly injury prone, and Logan Forsythe had a better 2015. Seattle is under new management, and surely the first thing his bosses do in the morning is look at the spreadsheet and shake their heads over the the $24 million per season white elephant. I doubt Robbie wants out as much as they do.
It's really too bad, how this turned out. Seriously, I hate hating Robbie Cano. He should have been the next great Yankee going to Cooperstown. He should be our link to the great teams. We should be rallying behind him. Of all the negatives I heap upon Hal "I'm Not Cheap" Steinbrenner, Robbie is the one decision that wasn't Hal's fault. The team made him a great offer - nine years, more money than he'll ever spend, plus the benefits of being a lifetime Yankee - and he walked away... for a few more thin dimes. He must never come back.
I thought the Yankees only offered 7 years/$175 million.
ReplyDeletethe yankees did low-ball him, and if it was me, I almost certainly would have taken the $240MM. the yankees deserve exactly nothing as a home-town discount, and they managed the negotiations to get the outcome they wanted -- lose Cano and get the compensatory draft pick.
ReplyDelete80 years from now, when Cano's grandchildren and greatgrandchildren are frolicking about, wasting The Jogger's money, they will raise a collective glass to the generosity of the Seattle Mariners and the wise counsel of Jay Z. $65MM -- the difference between what the Mariners gave him and the Yankees offered -- is not to be sneezed at by any of us who read this blog and especially not for a kid who grew up in Newark and the Dominican.
and if you look at Cano's Wikipedia page, you'll see that the Yankees shopped him around like a loaf of bread whose sell-by date was about to pass. they tried to get rid of him so often that it's amazing he ever played in pinstripes. the people who manage the Yankees -- Cashman, Levine and I'm Not Cheap -- are jerks with a long record to prove it. Losing Cano is not the worst move they ever made, but make no mistake, they did it deliberately. However, losing a home-grown superstar in his prime was a first for the Yankees (as far as I can remember), another sad reminder that we ain't what we used to be.
whether he signed for $175 mill or $240, the final years of Cano's contract probably aren't going to be pretty. I will never fault Robbie for taking the money. and if it works out that he's back here for a reunion tour, great, especially if he can still hit. I'm a little surprised, el duque, at your stance, which seems to endorse mismanagement's tight-fisted posture toward Cano. As you've pointed out several times, if they had kept Cano and Cervelli and resisted the urge to sign Beltran (ugh!), Ellsbury (ouch) and McCann (expiring), the Yankees would have been a better team with more financial flexibility.
Even Jeter only had a couple of good seasons after 33. I'd love to have Cano back for those good seasons, but 8 more years is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteSpend money on guys in their twenties -- Hewyard, Harper, etc.
I just feel that if Robbie had taken the Yankee offer, he would become the next Jeter, and the Yankees would have had to pay him to keep him. I don't honestly blame him for grabbing the cash, but I think it was shortsighted, and in the end, he chose what will turn out to have been a little extra money and a lot of extra anguish.
ReplyDeleteThe difference between the Yankees' offer and Seattle's wasn't 'a few thin dimes' or 'a little extra money.' It's 64 million dollars! Enough for many generations of Canos.
ReplyDeleteI see that Tom had made my point already. But it didn't penetrate Duque's spin machine, so I guess it bears repeating.
ReplyDeleteFORGET ABOUT CANO!....I JUST READ THE RED SOX ARE TARGETING PRICE, AND / OR GREINKE!........HAL!!!! AT LEAST BID ON THESE GUYS TO MAKE THEM PAY MORE, LIKE THEY DO TO US!!!..... I AM REALLY WORRIED THAT THE "HAL/CASH" TANDEM IS JUST LOST!....DON'T THEY REALIZE, THAT IS PART OF THE GAME TOO?.....THE YANKS SHOULDN'T SAY, "WE'RE OUT OF THE BIDDING".....IT'S STRATEGY, FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSomebody , please, offer me $60 million to do anything for 8 years! I'll sweep streets in Seattle. Pick up discarded crab legs. Anything.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to make a snarky comment, but there's too much frost on my sleeping bag this morning, the campfire needs tending, and I can see we're out of beef jerky for breakfast, probably because we gave all our food money to Cano. We may be out here in the sticks, but at least I can get lots of legal pot and a good cuppa Joe.
ReplyDeleteCano should be the patron saint of this website for leaving the Yankees.
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