Seattle in serious talks with Cano

On the same day the Yankees had a lavish press conference for newly acquired catcher Brian McCann, the talk of the day was barely about their new All-Star catcher. Various credible sources have been reporting that the Seattle Mariners are ready to offer Robinson Cano a nine year, $225 million contract, somewhere the Yankees are not willing to go. The current Yankee offer is believed to be at 7 years, $170 million. If Cano accepts the Seattle offer that they reportedly have on the table he will regret it in the long run. He could have easily made up a lot of that money in endorsement deals in New York. Also, Jay-Z would lose a lot of his popularity among Yankees fans, that of course comes secondary to Cano finding a team that is willing to meet his demands, or close to them.

The Yankees are prepared for Cano to leave elsewhere, with offers on the table to Omar Infante and having already signed Kelly Johnson who can serve as a second/third baseman. Now, there is no second baseman in the league anywhere near as talented as Robinson Cano but the Yankees will have to try their best to find the player(s) that best suit(s) their needs. Brandon Phillips is said not to be available by Reds officials. However, if the Yankees become desperate they can trade for Phillips by including Gardner as a centerpiece in a trade and by sprinkling in catching prospect Gary Sanchez and Mason Williams, as well as a Major-League ready starting pitcher. Trading Gardner to the Reds for Brandon Phillips would enable the Yankees to go after Carlos Beltran more intensely and would give room to sign Tanaka and Hiroki Kuroda.

According to Brian Cashman, Kuroda is definitely pitching in 2014 however the pitcher is still unsure of whether it will be in the Major Leagues or for Japan. The Yankees have reportedly offered Kuroda a one-year deal in excess of $15 million to stay with the Yankees for another year. In addition, according to sources close to Kuroda, the free agent right-hander will stay with the Yankees if he decides to pitch in the Majors for one more season.