Coming into the season the Yankees would need to rely on Robinson Cano to continue to be one of baseball’s biggest stars. With Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Texeria, and Alex Rodriquez all on the disable list to start the season, all eyes were on Cano.
Some feared Cano might be distracted coming into this season because he was entering the final year of his contract. Speculation rose even more when Cano switched from his longtime agent Scott Boras and joined Jay-Z’s new sports firm Roc Nation. For those that were concerned about how Cano would perform he put those doubts to bed.
Cano has been on a blistering pace for the first part of the season as he leads the team in hits, homeruns, batting average, on base percentage and RBI’s. Cano has also been solid with his glove as his fielding percentage is over .990. The way Cano is playing he will easily make his fifth All-Star appearance and has to be considered an early season MVP candidate. He and Mariano Rivera are the main reasons why the Yankees are one of the top teams in the American League.
So now as the season goes into the summer, one lingering question remains. Will Cano re-sign with the Yankees? Based on the fact that the Yankees can financially accommodate Cano’s needs and with Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera nearing the end of their careers, Cano can become the face of the Yankees franchise.
With Cano signing with Roc Nation, Yankees fans should feel more confident that Cano will re-sign with the Yankees, given the ties Jay-Z has to New York. However Cano is seeking a contract of 7-10 years in upwards of 175 million dollars. Hank and Hal Steinbrenner have not been on a spending frenzy as their father the late George Steinbrenner. Making a long term lucrative contract that will pay Cano until he’s in his 40’s doesn’t seem ideal for this Steinbrenner regime. The Yankees may look at the repercussions of giving Alex Rodriguez a long term contract and decline to offer Cano the same . But the idea of letting one of baseball players walk away without getting anything in return could haunt the Yankees for years to come.
So whether or not this is Cano’s last season is still up in the air, one thing that is certain is that he’s at the top of his game, and has the Yankees in contention to win their 28th World Series.